Exiles : Worlds on Fire
by Kairan1979
Summary: The decay in the Multiverse is progressing. New team of Exiles is formed. After the events in the last issue of Exiles.
1. Prologue

**Summary** : The decay in the Multiverse is progressing. New team of Exiles is formed. After the events in the last issue of Exiles.

**Disclaimer** : I don't own anything except my OC's, everything else is owned by either Marvel, or other companies.

**Author's Note**: Please R&R and tell me what you think, especially do you want the story to continue.

* * *

**Prologue**

Nico Minoru opened her eyes. The sun was too bright, and she covered her face with a hand, giving herself time to adjust to the sun.

"Where...?" she groaned, not addressing anyone in particular.

An unfamiliar voice answered, "I don't know".

The young sorceress forced herself to sit up, using Staff of One as a cane and squinting grumpily at the sun. She was in the middle of a desert. The sand under her feet had unusual rose color.

It felt like a bad dream. Nico Minoru had no idea how she ended up in the desert of all places and where did her teammates go.

_And, what is much more important,_ she thought, _who are these people?_

Big hulking man, wearing a sort of digger's helmet on his head, was talking to the pointy-eared alien with artificial left eye. A feminine figure in crimson suit of armor seemed lost in thought. The bald man with strange eyes, long arms, and skin too pale to be normal, vaguely resembling the mutants from District X, was staring at the young witch intently.

Nico wondered,_ Are they as clueless as I am…?_

* * *

The mutant was the first who stopped looking around and stated, "Desert is not real".

Nico Minoru asked him impatiently, "You can see through illusions? Because I've already tried revealing spell, and nothing changed!"

"You said '_nothing' _changed? Nice word to describe it!" it was the woman in a crimson suit of armor. Nico recognized Russian accent. "That's what my sensors are picking. Nothing. No radiowaves, no spikes of energy, only minor disturbances, possibly from our little group". The visor of her helmet opened, revealing oval face framed by short blonde locks. The woman was attractive, but piercing blue eyes sent around a warning, as if the battle suit she wore wasn't enough."We are in the middle of nothing, _chyort poberi_!*"

Mutant said "I can't see through illusions. No, I just don't feel my body adapting to the heat," he explained, "That's how my powers work. I can adapt to everything".

"Guys? Are you all as lost as I am?"

Everybody turned their heads to have a good look at the newcomer.

"Spider-Man?" Red and blue costume with black web design on it was almost as Nico remembered, but mask only partially covered the face, leaving the nose and mouth open.

He burst in laughter, "Spider-who? No, I'm _Captain Spider_. You know, the one who put Chameleon behind bars. And what kind of name is Spider-Man anyway? I thought Terrible Tinkerer sounds bad, but this..."

Captain Spider's rambling were interrupted by a loud cough. Startled, he looked around and saw old white-haired man in business suit, with a thin moustache and a short pointed beard. The old man was hovering above them, supported by nothing but air.

"Greetings, Exiles. Miss Belova was absolutely right - this desert is in the middle of Nowhere. I'm called The Timebroker, I took the liberty of gathering you together. Your lives, everything you know about the world is going to change completely. The earlier you will understand it, the better for all of you," he said solemnly.

"YOU kidnapped us? You've got a lot of explaining to do, old creep!" Captain Spider jumped at the old man, but passed through him and fell on his face.

"Now I see, you are not Spider-Man! He wasn't that dumb!" Nico snorted loudly.

"Hey!.."

Timebroker continued as if nothing had happened, "I forgot to mention that I am not here. All you see is a psychic construct, with only purpose to deliver a message," the old man sighed, "You see, there's something all of you have in common. You are dead".

* * *

"I don't feel like I'm dead," muttered Captain Spider, "I can't be dead... right?"

Timebroker asked, "Mr. Thompson, what's the last thing you remember?"

Nico gasped, the images of Frightful Four filled her mind.

"Ah, finally I see an understanding in your eyes! You were always smart, Miss Mnoru, did you know that Patriot considered you as his potential replacement?"

"No, no, it must be some kind of nightmare..." It looked like Captain Spider had a heavy case of denial.

"I'm afraid, it wasn't a nightmare. Let me refresh your memories," Timebroker started descending. In a moment his feet touched the ground, their surroundings transformed into a large room with a giant TV screen on the wall.

"Let's see," Timebroker pushed a button on the remote control. "Eugene "Flash" Thompson, Captain Spider. He fell to his death while fighting Vulture."

* * *

_Vulture's wings carried him above New-York's streets. Captain Spider wasn't planning to let the villain escape, so he became an unwilling passenger of Vulture Express._

_Never before Captain Spider was upset because of his inability to fly. Jumping and wall-crawling was more than enough for him. But to face a winged criminal in his own domain wasn't exactly an encouraging experience._

_"You were indeed a fool, Captain, getting involved in something out of your league!" Vulture taunted as he punched his "passenger". Captain Spider caught the punch. Now all he needed is a good left hook straight in old creep's face. And then they could have a nice talk about that kick in the neck!_

_Adrian Toomes was old, but he wasn't senile. He felt the grip on his left arm grew stronger, and saw a clenching fist. There was no need for a rocket scientist, or, in his case, an electronics engineer, to predict opponent's next move._

_Using priceless bird statue as a weapon, Vulture hit Captain Spider as hard as he could. Flash, not anticipating that, released Vulture. And Toomes kicked him, to make sure that wall-crawler can't reach to him again._

_"So long, my dear Captain! Hopefully, your death will be an example to others of your ilk!"_

_Half-unconscious, Flash was falling down, and not even his spider-strength could save him from the force of impact._

_His last thought was "Why couldn't it be radioactive hornet?"_

* * *

Flash cursed loudly, "Son of the..."

The old man said, "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Language, Mr. Thompson. There are women here, if you hadn't noticed".

Crimson Dynamo shrugged, "I've heard worse".

Timebroker pushed a button and a new image appeared, "Let's see, who's next? Armando Munoz, better known as Darwin. He was cornered and executed by X-Force."

* * *

_Darwin was struggling with the chains. He'd be free in a minute, if only he still had powers. _

_If only he had powers. But Rogue already took care of it. And Polaris had chained him to the wall. Why? They were planning a slow and painful death? Hoped to drag the names and addresses of his accomplices out of him? Darwin wasn't sure. _

_He had to admit, X-Force caught him with pants down. Their methods were too similar to his own. And, unlike them, Darwin had nobody to watch his back. Armando was always a loner, and only trusted five people in his life. His teammates died on Krakoa, Moira was killed by Sabretooth, and the Professor betrayed him the worst way possible._

_He tensed when he had heard Rogue's voice. "He's all yours, sugah"._

_Darwin's eyes opened wide in surprise when a tall man stepped out of the darkness. Scott Summers, the overgrown Boy Scout, was the last person he expected to deny Xavier's teachings and join X-Force._

_"Last time you fooled X-Force by feigning you death. Impressive performance, I give you that. You even fooled Wolverine," Logan, half-seen behind Cyclops' back, growled. "I'm not taking chances with you again, murderer"._

_Scott Summers slowly removed the visor, then opened his eyes._

* * *

The screen darkened. Darwin was breathing heavily. He forced himself to calm down, changing the adrenaline level in his blood. Let Timebroker enjoy his little game, but Darwin wasn't going to play.

"Yelena Dmitrievna Belova, Crimson Dynamo XIX. She was killed in Kosovo, protecting civilians from the Sentinel Bombers."

* * *

_Yelena Belova was in Hell. _

_Is there some Special Hell for naive young women who believe that they know everything about the War?_

_She destroyed about two wings of Sentinel Bombers. They just kept coming._

_No matter how much Yelena wanted to punch these things, she couldn't - they were rigged to explode. Crimson Dynamo had to use all her tricks - flamethrower, miniguns, even hand blasters. They kept coming._

_No way she was going to allow Sentinels to bomb Belgrad. Especially after the so-called "mistake" that claimed the lives of fifty innocent Serbs._

_They kept coming. Crimson Dynamo fired the last missiles, destroying them one by one. _

_"CRIMSON DYNAMO. SURRENDER. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST"._

_War Machine! _

_She hoped to meet him someday, and make him pay for her husband's death... but not today! Not like that! Not when she was out of missiles, and spent three quarters of suit's power!_

_Is that what her granddad felt, when his old I-16 met with Luftwaffe fighter Ace in the skies over Yaroslavl? Dmitry Belov had a hundred to one chance to win, but he didn't turn back. Neither could she._

_Crimson Dynamo flew as fast as she could, gathering rest of the energy to power EMP generator. _

_Yelena had only one shot. And prayed that it's enough._

* * *

Yelena's eyes turned into blue ice. She bit her lip and said nothing.

The old man continued, "Rockman, your turn. You were killed in a final battle of Superhuman Civil War".

* * *

_In Berlin, on April 25, Dynamic Man joked, "You can't throw a rock without hitting somebody in mask and tights". Today, on Times Square, Rockman was reliving this moment._

_Too many unfamiliar faces a once. Always the risk of hitting an ally, not the enemy. So he tried to keep close to Cap, but was distracted by Wonder Man. Who wasn't looking so pretty after Rockman finished with him._

_The leader of Abyssia felt happy when he saw Namor, leading an army of Atlanteans. "Just like the good old times," he thought, "Captain America and The Sub-Mariner, together against the tyranny"._

_His hopes to talk to Prince of Atlantis after the battle were rudely interrupted, when Rockman was attacked by the flying man in black suit. Rockman suddenly remembered when he saw this one. In the headquarters of Avengers Resistance. He changed sides after Black Goliath was killed. What a coward!_

_Rockman grabbed Nighthawk in mid-air and threw him at the group of strange-looking people. He didn't know their names, but they attacked Spider-Man. Six against the one. Rockman decided that it's time to even the odds._

_"Nice job, Rocky!" Spider-Man saluted him, then took off, using one of his webs. Rockman was already looking around to see where he is needed. Battle wasn't over, so it doesn't matter how exhausted he was. _

_That's when he saw Iron Man, lying on the ground. Who dropped the flying man from the skies? Who cracked open his helmet and damaged the armor? Namor? Hercules? It wasn't important now. Rockman saw that Anthony Stark wasn't unconscious anymore, and he raised an arm to shoot Captain America in the back. And Cap was too busy exchanging blows with Taskmaster and Lady Deathstrike to notice._

_Rockman was known as the strongest man in Abyssia, but until this moment he had no idea that he can run so fast._

_The leg in heavy combat boot stepped on Iron Man's arm mercilessly, crushing metal, flesh and bones. Stark cried like a wounded beast. Rockman raised his large fist to finish off the warmonger, when a powerful blast of lightning smacked him off his feet. _

_Feeling the taste of blood in his mouth, half-blind Rockman tried to stand up when Thor's clone delivered the second blow._

* * *

The image faded. Rockman looked straight into Timebroker's eyes and asked, "But... we won?"

The old man nodded.

"That's all that matters".

Timebroker smiled, "Can't argue with that. Now let's move to Nico Minory, Sister Grimm. She was killed in battle with Frightful Four".

* * *

_It was an ordinary patrol. Surround the warehouse, wrap up some punks, or a D-rated villain, who can't think of better place to hide. Nothing major - half of the Young Avengers are on wild goose chase for A.I.M base. But Murphy's Law was ruthless, so Nico Minoru, Kate Bishop and two newest members of a team - Ricochet and Talon - had to deal with Frighful Four without any backup._

_"YOUNG AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!"_

_Nico raised a force field against Wizard's electrical blasts. Kate was playing "shoot, duck and run" with Dragon Man. The enraged monster was spitting fire at her, but Hawkeye moved too fast for him. _

_Ricochet was bouncing around, avoiding Trapster's attacks with natural grace. He looked amazing, like he was born in the suit. It was hard to believe that Johnny tried to abandon the heroics and live as an ordinary man. The Young Avengers saved him from meaningless existence, and obtained a new teammate in the process. _

_Talon jumped on Dragon Man's back, plunging her metal claws into monster's hide. Dragon Man roared, more from anger than pain, and tried to reach to her, but Laura Kinney already jumped off him. _

_Nico yelled, "Hawkeye! Distract Godzilla!"_

_"Got it!"_

_The monster opened his mouth to fry Laura. Kate shot the explosive arrow. Dragon Man was forced to swallow it, literally._

_Ricochet used all his throwing disks to destroy Trapster's glue cannons. If it comes to blows between them, Nico was sure that Johnny wins. But the likes of Trapster knew nothing about fair play, and the sorceress was worried._

_Talon made another attempt to attack Dragon Man, but was caught by Klaw's powerful sound blast. The enhanced senses made the mutant girl extremely vulnerable to sonic attacks. She collapsed._

_Klaw smirked, "What, little Talon isn't sharp enough?"_

_Wizard yelled at him, "Klaw, you idiot! You hit Dragon Man too!"_

_Not breaking concentration on the force field, Nico glanced at Dragon Man, and saw the creature wriggling on the floor. It seemed Dragon Man shared some vulnerabilities with Talon, and she knew it. And deliberately put herself in harm's way, to get rid of the strongest enemy._

_Laura Kinney wasn't a talker. She did not know how to relax and have some fun. She was a loner and a wildcard with dark past. But she always had something up her sleeve to surprise both enemies and teammates._

_Now it was Nico's big chance - to show Mr. Wizard some real magic! She pointed Staff of One at him. _

_**"Gravity Net!" **_

_Wizard tried to make anti-gravity disks work again, when his head met with support column._

_Laura was still out cold, so was Dragon Man. Kate snapped cuffs on Trapster's wrists. The Young Avengers saved the day. But Nico couldn't shake the feeling that they missed something._

_"Where's Klaw?"_

_Then Nico felt a searing pain in her back. All she heard before everything went black was a mocking whisper, "Behind you, stupid child"._

* * *

Yelena placed her hand on Nico's shoulder. Blue eyes warmed a bit, and the smile was natural. Nico was grateful for the gesture, though she wasn't planning to tell about it. Young witch was too proud to admit her weakness.

Timebroker announced, "And finally, the last but not least - Raza Longknife. He died fighting Super-Skrulls during their raid on S.W.O.R.D. orbital base".

* * *

_He concentrated on surroundings. The sound of alarms and cries for help faded in the background. Only Raza Longknife and the Super-Skrull with Wolverine's powers were real._

_They danced around each other, then Super-Skrull jumped into the air, extending bone claws. Raza avoided his first strike, then counterattacked with a dagger. Skrull escaped his attack too. _

_Raza brought his sword down towards the Skrull's head. The green-skinned warrior blocked his strike with the claws, then slashed upwards, tearing Raza's shirt, drawing blood. Starjammer's ferocious answer left a deep wound on Skrull's left arm. Using a moment of distraction, Raza stabbed his opponent through the chest. Then he beheaded Skrull to make sure he stays dead._

_The sword's blade was stained in green blood, but Raza did not bother to clean it. No time for it, it's the middle of a battle, and he had to find Abigail Brand. _

_He found Abigail Brand in the conference hall. She was unconscious, and Henry McCoy kneeled to tend to her wounds. He sent wary glance towards Raza. The former Starjammer disliked Beast with a passion, and furry mutant felt it._

_"Skrulls?"_

_"Dead. All of them. But it was just the first wave"._

_Beast muttered something about "stars and garters"._

_"Ye must evacuate right now, lad. Ye remember where the shuttles are?"_

_"What about you?" _

_"I'll hold them off"._

_For the first time in their lives two men – warrior and the scientist - understood each other completely._

_Raza Longknife didn't say "good bye". Just "take care of her"._

_Sword in right hand, left hand transformed into the knife, the former Starjammer stood in the corridor, waiting for Super-Skrulls to come._

* * *

Timebroker kept silence for a minute or two, allowing the audience to process the information. "NOW you believe me?"

The former Starjammer replied "Aye". Darwin just nodded - he didn't trust his voice yet.

"Yes," Nico answered in her hushed voice. "Does it mean you resurrected us?"

Crimson Dynamo tried to joke, "Don't know about resurrection, but my armor is fully repaired and recharged, and I like it".

Timebroker smiled, "Don't thank me yet, Miss Belova, you'll need it," he turned to Nico. "And don't worry, Miss Minoru, you weren't resurrected, you have been unhinged in time. Simply speaking, you are not in your universe anymore. You've been transported to this place a millisecond before your death".

Darwin asked, "So, what's the catch?"

Timebroker smiled again, "I'm afraid I'm not following you, young man".

"I'm not in the mood for games. There's always a catch. Powerful being saves your life, asking nothing in return? Na-ah".

"You are right, but let's not forget - in your worlds you are dead".

Yelena narrowed her eyes, "And you are not planning to change it. There's no way back for us. I am right? That's why you called us Exiles?"

"There's too much at stake, Miss Belova," Timebroker turned the TV on again. They saw an image of a bunch of Earth in spiral formation, "That's Multiverse. Some of these Earth are like your homeworlds, the others are quite different. Earths conquered by aliens, inhabited by dinosaurs or sentient apes, post-apocalyptic worlds. And the Multiverse is unstable".

Captain Spider parroted, "Unstable?"

"On some Earths things no not proceed the way they are supposed to be in that particular universe. The world becomes unstable and - BOOM! One way or another, the universe ceases to exist. Instability will spread until the whole Multiverse will collapse. Domino effect".

Nico said, "Let's suppose you are right. Why tell us? _'Repairing Universes'_ wasn't in my spell book. I doubt even Sentry or Thor can handle this".

"Now that's when you are wrong, young lady. This is a job for Exiles. You team is going to deliver proverbial lost nails, and thus to sent realities on the right track," the golden bracelet with large red stone appeared on Darwin's right hand, "This bracelet is called Tallus. It will be your guide - instructing you on what is needed to repair the cracks, to realign the dominoes. Once your tasks are complete, you can move on to your next reality and next mission..."

"NO!" it was Rockman, who barely said three words before. Everybody was shocked by his outburst, "I can't do this. I must get back to Abyssia. I haven't seen my people for sixty years. I don't know what happened with them in my absence. What about my queen and my little princess? I must see them!"

"I'm afraid, Mr. Rockman, I can't help you."

Timebroker snapped his fingers and Exiles vanished.

* * *

"And this was the best Palace's computer could pick?"

"What's bothering you, kid?"

"This new team. Couldn't we handle the threat by ourselves?"

"We can't be everywhere, Clarice. I thought you already learned this".

"I know, but look what we've got this time. I have nothing to say against Longknife or Crimson Dynamo, but what about the others? Superpowered jock, inexperienced sorceress with anger management issues and the mutant who nearly destroyed X-Men?"

"You worry too much. Comparing to freaks and madmen I had to run with before, new team is an example of good recruitment".

"Speaking of madmen, what about Rockman? We can't even tell him the truth".

"The truth can destroy him".

"Not my point. Mulitverse is a big place. What if Rockman stumbles upon somebody who tells him?"

"We'll deal with it when it happens, Clarice. Now I have to leave - Miguel found an interesting piece of alien weaponry, and asked me to test it".

"One more question. Why Darwin?"

"He showed incredible devotion to his deceased team. He'd burn the Earth just to give them proper funeral pyre. If he'd be half as devoted to Exiles, it means I've made a right choice".

**Russian translations:**

_*"chort poberi" - Damn it!_


	2. Mazes and Monsters Part 1

**Mazes and Monsters.**

**Part 1.**

Nightblade was frustrated and angry, mostly at himself. He tried a million times to figure out how to sneak on enemy's territory without killing half of his little army. But it was hopeless. Mole Man himself, his monstrous bodyguard, Moloids and people turned into walking puppets, and Abyss knows what else – Nightblade was forced to accept that he was outnumbered and outgunned.

_A man must know his limits. You are a soldier, not a warlord. _

He missed Callisto. She could laugh at his fruitless attempts, see the possibilities he missed and come up with something better than a suicide attack.

_She is the woman worth dying for. For her sake, you must try again. _

Just as Nightblade was going to return to the map, his sensitive hearing picked up footsteps near the Headquarters.

"Uncle Jason?" It was Squid Boy, little amphibian mutant and the youngest of Morlocks.

"What's the matter, Sammy?"

"Will you tell me a story?"

"A _what_?!" Nightblade looked at the boy like he was insane.

"A story. Lorelei said you traveled a lot before the War".

"So?"

"You must know a lot of good stories".

"My stories are not for children, Sammy".

"Melek said that _this en-ti-re world is not a place for children_" Sammy seemed to have a problem with the word "entire".

"Then Melek is a wise man. I'm sure he knows a lot of good stories. Why don't you ask him for one?"

"I want YOUR story. Melek always talks about his God, but I like the stories about heroes more. His God never sent angels with flaming swords against Sentinels, it was heroes like you and Aunt Callisto who saved us!"

"Flattery isn't going to get you anywhere, kid".

"Tell me a story. Pleeaase..?"

_One of the most dangerous men of the century, knee deep in the dead, and yet children are never afraid of me. Why? _

Nightblade knew that must concentrate on important things. Things like a waterproof plan of attack on Mole Man, or a shortage of supplies.

He glanced at the map, then at the boy, then back on the map, and surrendered.

Metallic skull grinned at him from the shelf. Nightblade was sure that the skull is about to say "_Sucker!_"

* * *

A moment ago they were in the middle of desert, half-blind from the sun in the eyes. Portal opened and threw six Exiles into complete darkness.

Crimson Dynamo turned on the lights on her armor, allowing Exiles to see each other

"Ugh! I hate teleportation!" Nico exclaimed, wiping her mouth with a handkerchief.

Against his will, Captain Spider felt sympathetic for the young witch. His own condition wasn't much better – hanging upside down and jumping from the roofs he could handle, but the sensation of dimensional travel was new to him, and Flash felt bile rise up in his throat. Yelena Belova blessed the years of High-G training. Raza Longknife and Darwin just shrugged it off; Darwin needed 0.25 sec to adapt, and former Starjammer was used to stress.

Rockman barely noticed his companions. He was too busy pounding the ground and cursing Timebroker.

Nico Minoru lit up the blue fire on the end of her magic staff, struggling with the fierce headache, and looked around. They were in a large cavern with several entrances, but Nico couldn't see more, it was too dark. A foul stench assaulted her nostrils.

"Wow! I hope it's not the world of Dungeons and Dragons! I don't feel like I'm strong enough to slay a dragon!"

Yelena parried "Dragons don't exist".

"What about dinosaurs in Savage Land? I've read about them in Daily Bugle".

"Silence!!!"

Darwin waited until he got the attention of Exiles, Rockman excluded, and said with grim determination "I know where Timebroker sent us. It's Subterranea". He explained "Subterranea is an underground realm beneath the earth's surface. Caves, tunnels, underground lakes. Nobody has the map of Subterranea yet, because this place is too dangerous to explore. Strange creatures inhabit this realm, so don't be surprised if you meet the dragon".

"You've been there before?"

"I found a guide. I doubt I'd be so lucky twice".

"Wait, it's an _underground_ realm? You mean Timebroker changed his mind and sent Rockman home?"

This caught Rockman's attention. He stood up, and started examining the walls of the cavern, using the light on his helmet to illuminate the area. Then Rockman shook his head and said with a disappointment in his voice "This place isn't my Abyssia. Not even close".

"Are you sure?"

"Trust me. If you've spent as much time underground as I did, you'd never be confused. This place is much lower than I've ever been".

"So Rocky has nothing to do with our unexpected teleportation. Then why are we here?"

"I can answer your question" Darwin demonstrated Tallus on his hand. "I just got a message from Timebroker. **You must rescue Callisto**".

* * *

_"Once upon a time, in a kingdom of Wundagore, there was a dark fairy princess. Her name was Raven because of her hair color and because she brought strife, wars and misery wherever she went. All the evil she did for years twisted and disfigured her, so the dark faerie, once so beautiful, now looked like a walking nightmare. But she used magical illusions to disguise herself. _

_One day Raven appeared at a royal palace claiming to be a princess from the little kingdom of Attilan. This country was destroyed by the horde of barbarians a year ago, and nobody could disprove her claims. The King, enchanted by Raven's false beauty, fell in love with her at the first sight. He decided to marry her. When his most trusted advisors tried to dissuade the King, he just ignored them. _

_Two years passed and the new Queen gave birth to a prince. It was the most beautiful child the world ever seen, with golden locks, blue eyes and a smile that can light up a room. That's why he was called Prince Charming. _

_But the second prince inherited mother's appearances. He was half-man, half-beast. Queen quickly came up with a story that that the court wizard cursed her child. The King was madly in love with his wife, he believed her lies easily. And the old man who never hurt a fly in his life was thrown in jail and then executed"._

Squid Boy protested "It's not fair! If he was a wizard, why his magic didn't show him who the queen really was?"

Nightblade smiled, trying not to show up the fangs. "The wizard was an old man, Sammy, his magic wasn't nearly as strong as before. And dark fairies were always masters of deception".

"But…"

"Good people suffer, even in fairy tales. Now do you want to hear the story or not?"

Sammy covered his mouth with a palm, clear indication that he wants more.

_"The wizard was executed, but the newborn prince stayed as ugly as before. There were whispers at the court that the boy must die too, before something bad happens. King refused to listen. The boy grew up, the most lonely and unhappy person in the realm. King hated the thought that his son is cursed and he is powerless to help, so he estranged himself from the boy's life. Queen Raven only cared about her perfect Charming. Court jester called the boy Prince Changeling, and the name stuck._

_Young prince saw pity and fear in the eyes of people and hated pity more than fear. Nobody tried to befriend the boy, too afraid of his 'curse'. Only the old weapon master treated the prince as harsh as the other students. Changeling became one of the greatest warriors in Wundagore, but what's the point of winning the tournaments, if no lady wants you to defend her honor?_

_One day Changeling heard about the fierce Ogre who attacked villages in the mountains. Five knights tried to slay the monster, but the Ogre killed all of them. Changeling saw it as his chance to prove himself worthy. He left the palace without saying a word to anybody. _

_He returned a week later, exhausted and covered by blood and dirt. A head of Ogre was in a sack tied to a saddle. _

_King saw that his son grew up and turned into a true warrior. He knew why prince went against an Ogre, and felt a deep shame that he neglected his father's duties. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out of it. And Prince Changeling felt all his hopes crushed. He dropped the head on a floor and ran away._

_Weapon master found him later; Changeling was hiding in the old tower. Old soldier said "Damn good work, son - to kill the Ogre single-handily and live to tell about it. You are the best warrior I've ever trained". _

_Prince answered with a scowl "I can become the best warrior in the whole world, I can kill all the monsters in Wundagore, but I'd always be Changeling, the cursed one, half-man, half-beast. You, master, are the only person in this palace who'd mourn if I die"._

_"Then you have no reason to stay in Wundagore". _

_"Don't tell me you know the place where freaks like me aren't hated and feared?"_

_"As a matter of fact, I do. Ever heard about Gray Company?"_

_"I've read something about them. They are some kind of mercenaries?"_

_"They are more than mercenaries, son. They are the best and the worst soldiers in the world, because they have nothing to lose. Outcasts, heretics, criminals, some of them are not even humans. The soldiers of Gray Company are survivors. They lost battles, but never a war. And, what's more important, The Captain isn't going to ask who are you and where do you come from. Just be loyal to your comrades in arms, and don't show your back in the fight"._

Nightblade looked at Sammy and found out that the boy fell asleep. A rare smile touched Jason's serious face.

Then he remembered what he was doing before the boy came, and the smile faded. Callisto was held prisoner by a madman who built his little kingdom under the nose of Terrax, and Terrax could crush ten of so-called Rulers of All Subterranea without breaking a sweat.

Without Callisto there was no hope for Morlocks. Nightblade knew his limits. He'd never be able to replace her.

The skull grinned at him, he found it all funny.

Nightblade growled "You always had a twisted sense of humor, don't you, brother? Laugh while you still can. One day I'll find a way to melt adamantium".

Jason walked out of the room. He felt an urge to stretch muscles.

Standing in the middle of training hall, he unsheathed his daggers. Priceless twin blades once belonged to the Indian mutant Warpath. Jason never sharpened them – there was no need, daggers were made of vibranium. Nightblade imagined for a moment that Callisto is back; they sparred in this hall as often as they could, both took great sense of satisfaction from training sessions. But it was just a wishful thinking.

He took a fighting stance. Twin blades gracefully slashed the air, Jason's face was calm, his mind was clear, his body moved automatically, without any need for conscious thought. Daggers flew through the air, slicing through unseen enemies…

To stop an inch from slashing Porcupine's throat.

"Never. Interrupt. My. Training!" he crossed daggers on the Morlock's neck, drawing blood.

Porcupine breathed out "Intruders!"

"Go on", Nightblade cleaned the blades and sheathed them.

"Shatter discovered them in the west tunnels. They must be surface dwellers, too much noise. We can handle it; there are just five of them. Or six, that's nothing".

"_Nothing_? Are you kidding me? You forgot Avengers? A group of _six_ men in capes and masks destroyed twenty Sentinels before they were killed".

"I thought government of the Upworld killed all the capes?"

"He thought! Better leave thinking to me! And gather all the guns. Let's see who decided to pay us a visit".

* * *

Darwin explained "In my world Callisto was a leader of Morlocks, mutants who left the surface to live in the abandoned underground tunnels".

"Ugh! Who'd want to live down there?"

"Most of the Morlocks were disfigured by their mutations and were unable to pass as normal humans. They suffered from the worst kinds of abuse. X-Men are able to defend themselves; Morlocks couldn't. Imagine yourself as a real spider-man, with eight limbs, four pairs of eyes and covered with chitin, but without extra strength or agility. Imagine this if you can; that's how Morlock feels".

"Thanks, but no thanks, pal. The smell in the air and all these creepy tunnels are bad enough, I don't want to imagine more horrors".

Yelena reminded impatiently "You were talking about Callisto".

"She is an exception to the rules. Callisto looks like a normal woman, minus an eye plus scars all over the body. Tough woman; she won her title in a fight and killed three pretenders".

Captain Spider winked at him "Friend of yours?"

Darwin ignored the implication "More like a reluctant ally. I had something her Morlocks desperately needed, so she allowed me to use their tunnels as a hideout".

Captain Spider mockingly joked "Makes me wonder why you didn't stay with them, Baldy. Hey, I just figured out what's your problem with X-Men! They turned you down because your power is only useful to save your ass".

Raza Longknife warned the wall-crawler "Choose thy words wisely, lad. Darwin I hath a honor of knowin' kill'd two warriors from Th' Imperial Guard of Shi'ar. Don't assume companion of ours is less dangerous". Something was in the simple words of Raza's warning, or was it his tone, but Flash took a message and refrained from smart-ass comments.

Darwin looked at Starjammer gratefully and continued "What's the most unusual is that we are too far from the surface. Morlocks don't live so deep down. And if they live here - what could happen on the surface to force them into it? Can it be connected to our assignment to save Callisto?"

Elena touched his shoulder "Don't forget – she isn't Callisto you knew".

"Different universe, looking at our company it's hard to forget. Callisto might be nothing like the woman I remember; and maybe Morlocks too".

Crimson Dynamo coughed "We are about to find it out, Darwin". She raised her voice. "Hey, mystery man, why don't you stop playing hide and seek? Your camouflage power is impressive, you fooled my infra-red sensors, but I detected your weapons. The game is over, you can show up".

"Are you insa…," Captain Spider stopped when a tall humanoid figure appeared out of thin air. It was a man covered with short blue fur; yellow beastly eyes slightly glowed in the dark.

"It's so stupid - trying to hide from the woman in power suit! I should have known better. Then again, you were so concentrated to find me, and completely overlooked my friends".

Exiles found themselves surrounded by more than forty Morlocks. Mutants looked angry and were armed to the teeth.

"Crap! Now I know why my spider-sense was buzzing!"

Nico Minoru muttered "Better late than never, you dolt".

Leader of Morlocks smiled showing his sharp white canines "I'm Jason Howlett, but you can call me Nightblade. Surrender!"

_To be continued..._


	3. Mazes and Monsters Part 2

**Mazes and Monsters.**

**Part 2**

"You don't look like Morlock".

"That's because I'm not one of them, sweet cheeks, I just came to live here because it was too hot to stay on the surface. For your information, our Fearless Leader isn't Morlock too," Dave Landers sighed in exhaustion, but his weary eyes were glinting in anticipation. "Is this it? No more tin cans?"

Armor-clad woman shrugged her shoulders, "All the others were beyond repair".

"Thank God! My arms are killing me! I haven't been working out so much since the crash landing in Savage Land! "

Fourteen Prowlers and five Trackers, when she needed three times more for the plan, but that's all she could do for now.

Whatever reason Morlocks had to keep the remains of the destroyed Sentinels, they were reasonable enough sense and never tried to activate them. You can't switch on the killer robots without reprogramming them first, and Morlocks weren't hackers. Yelena wasn't much of a hacker too, but her suit provided her all the software she needed... well, in theory.

They spent too much of precious time repairing the Sentinels. She didn't want to report to Nightblade that he can forget about her part of a plan because she wasn't able to pass through the firewalls.

Crimson Dynamo looked down the closest Prowler. Smaller robot can be easier to deal with in case something goes wrong.

_**INITIATING NANOTECH PROBE.**_

Landers wiped the forehead, "Are you sure that it's safe?"

"You can leave if you want".

"I'm staying, Lena – may I call you Lena? I want to be here if we'll have to put this thing down," Dave answered stoically, his eyes fixed on Sentinel as he upholstered his guns.

_Whatever floats your boat, Casanova._

_**ALTERNATE POWER SOURCE ACTIVATED. SYSTEM EFFICIENCY: 13% AND CLIMBING. **_

"Landers, were you just checking me out?"

"I can't help it. Why is it that the women in power armor are always so good-looking?"

Yelena rolled her eyes, "Me and who else?"

"Justine Hammer, the Iron Maiden, black sheep in her family. Or rather a white sheep, considering what kind of man her Daddy was".

_**FULL RECHARGE IN 7 MINUTES.**_

"Dave?"

"Yes, Lena?"

"What does BT logo stand for?"

"BT means BannerTech. Banner," the name sounded like a curse, all the thoughts about flirting clearly left Dave's head at the sound of it. "Who do you think started the war?"

"You tell me. I'm kinda new in your world".

"Sorry, I keep forgetting this".

_**SCANNING THE SYSTEM... PLEASE, WAIT...**_

Yelena was keeping an eye on the progress, while listening to Landers' tall tale. According to him, the alternative Bruce Banner wasn't an eternal fugitive, but a cross between Bill Gates, Kalashnikov and Van Helsing. When Major Glenn Talbot was caught in explosion and turned into the ugly Thing, he went on rampage, killing Bruce's bride Elisabeth Ross in process. Banner allied with his father-in-law General "Thunderbolt" Ross and spent ten years chasing after Talbot through the world and creating weapons capable of killing The Thing. When the monster was dead and buried, Bruce Banner was one the world's greatest experts on advanced weapons, and he earned a fortune on military contracts.

_**BANNERTECH SOFTWARE DETECTED. STATUS – INACTIVE.**_

But man's hatred was insatiable. Banner wrote 'Poisonous Source', the book that became a bestseller, and led to a new wave of anti-mutant hysteria. Politics, one by one, jumped on Let's Get Rid of Supers Bandwagon. Mutant Registration Act had passed by Congress, soon followed by Superhuman Registration Act. Avengers fought against the Act, so did X-Men, but they were outnumbered. Gray Company were the last who .

_**ERAZE BANNERTECH SOFTWARE (Y / N)?**_

"Gray Company?"

"You don't have Gray Company in your world?"

Yelena shook her head.

"It's your loss. Cliff notes version - Old Nick Fury started feeling nostalgic about the times when he led Howling Commandos. So he created a Foreign Legion for the weirdoes and freaks of nature, subordinated personally to him. Mutants, cyborgs, enhanced humans, super-soldiers, aliens, you name it. Holy Mother of God, we even had a half-vampire and a rogue Skrull who claimed that he was a prince".

"Wait, you served in Gray Company? But you…"

"Don't let my charming personality fool you, pumpkin. Hitler attacked Poland when I was twelve. I wish it was a diet and fitness keeping me in shape, but the ugly truth is that I have the aging-suppression factor circling in my veins. If it fails, I'll start aging ten years a day, like Kassandra in Warlock, with predicable results".

_**ERAZING BANNERTECH SOFTWARE IN PROGRESS.**_

"Ah, Gray Company, the best thirty years in my life! Fury wanted us to be the first line of defense against all kinds of 'super' threats. Atlanteans sinking out submarines? Call Gray Company. Kree want to turn the Earth into military base? Call Gray Company. Not to mention huge paychecks and the best weapons and Uncle Sam could afford".

_**ERAZING BANNERTECH SOFTWARE COMPLETED. **_

"What about the Avengers? I thought they were gathered to deal with that kind of stuff?"

"Avengers? Are you kidding me? Avengers were a publicity stunt started by Frank Roosevelt. Hitler was bragging about 'supermen', can you think of better answer to his propaganda?"

"Show him the real-life 'supermen'?"

"Exactly".

_**UPLOAD STANETECH SOFTWARE (Y / N)?**_

"First generation of Avengers knew exactly what they are, but kept silence. It's those who came later who started deluding themselves into believing that they are saving the world, one supervillain at a time. But there's no way they were equipped to deal with the real threats".

_**UPLOADING STANETECH SOFTWARE COMPLETED. ACTIVATE PROWLER UNIT #020721 (Y / N)?**_

Prowler came to life, rising up on spidery mechanical legs. Dave Landers tensed, but Yelena's smiled and patted Sentinel's ugly head.

"He is not biting, Dave," she shot him a triumphant look. "So, what do you think? Not bad for a blonde?"

"Well, now I see that you could handle it alone. Sorry for underestimating you. But..."

"Better safe than sorry," she finished for him. "And let me give you some good advice. If you want to stay at my good graces, never ask me to surrender".

"I'll do my best to keep it in mind".

* * *

_* * * _**A few hours earlier * * ***

"I'm Jason Howlett, but you can call me Nightblade. Surrender!"

Yelena Belova felt anger boiling within.

_Surrender? If this blue Chewbacca thinks he can order her around..._

"Jason Howlett?" the teenage witch piped in. "As in..."

Crimson Dynamo elbowed her and mouthed, "Not now!"

Blue furry Morlock repeated, "I'm waiting. You have twenty seconds to surrender, or we'll start shooting".

Yelena raised her hand, pulse cannon in full-automatic mode.

"I have a counter-offer for you, comrade. You have twenty seconds to lower the guns, or I'll bring the ceiling down on your ugly mugs. My armor is composed of carbonadium alloy, so I can withstand a cave-in. I can say the same about my fellow supers, but I bet that falling rocks are bad for the health of Morlocks. Are you ready to lose half of your army to get rid of us?"

She was keeping an eye on Howlett, ready to fire if he tried something. He didn't look like a kamikaze, but who knows? These people aren't called Morlocks for nothing.

"Ten seconds. Lower the guns and let's talk. Seven seconds, six, five, four..."

"Sssstop!"

Tall grey-skinned Morlock with no hair and yellow eyes stepped forward, his skeletal hand pointed out at Darwin.

"Thissss one issss a mutant".

* * *

"And you came here to save Callisto? Forgive my lack of faith, but it sounds too good to be true".

A system of large caverns served as a settlement of Morlock community. Raza Longknife decided to consider that they were allowed in as a sign of trust.

Leaving the explanations to Darwin, former Starjammer figured out that it's an appropriate time to evaluate his new companions.

Crimson Dynamo was talented in aerial combat, and the incident with Morlocks proved that she can think on her feet. But what does the suit of the armor mean for this woman - a weapon, an instrument or a crutch? And what can happen if she loses the suit?

Looking at Darwin he remembered the mutant he met when X-Men and Starjammers tried to save Majestrix Lilandra from Death Commandos. _That_ Darwin was brave and honorable, he sometimes acted as a voice of reason for his powerful, but unstable friend Vulcan. Raza wondered what kind of life could turn Darwin into a sworn enemy of X-Men and give him a title of murderer.

Rockman was, as Christopher Summers could say, a colossus on feet of clay. Raza, knowing by his own experience what it's like to lose everything, wished the underground warrior to find his Ch'od and Hepzibah and to fill the void in his soul.

The young magic user was a mystery. Earthlings were a strange race, but their practitioners of magic made even the mutants look simple.

And the weakest link in the chain was Captain Spider. Arrogant, self-centered, immature – how did he ended up wearing the mask and suit in the first place? Was it purely because of thirst for fame or was there something else?

Raza couldn't call Exiles his team; neither could he trust them to cover his back in the battle. Trust must be earned, and the word "team" means the spirit of fellowship, the connection he only felt when he was a part of Starjammer crew.

"We've been told that we must save Callisto. That's all. No more clues".

Nightblade wanted to see something sharp, but instead he said, "You want to know what happened to Callisto? What the Hell, why not? If you were spies, you'd think of better story; not that there's something worth spying on down there. She was kidnapped by Mole Man".

Raza saw the signs of recognition in the eyes of young sorceress. If she dealt with the alternate Mole Man, it can be useful.

"Our patrols started to disappear. No blood, no signs of struggle, they simply vanished, one by one".

Exiles waited, nobody asked questions seeing the deadly serious face of Jason Howlett. Even Flash kept silence.

"It was Mole Man's doing. He created brainwashing drug and turned Morlocks he kidnapped into his personal army, as if Moloids weren't enough. He wants to rule the Subterrania, that's why he kidnapped Callisto and wants to execute her", Nightblade growled, "He sent me an invitation - a lock of hair and one of her knives as a proof. He _wants_ me to come to rescue. It's a trap, and he knows that I know it", Nightblade growled again, "You want to save Callisto? Find a way to do it without being trapped or forced to kill our own people".

Nico Minoru responded, "Miracles aren't my in my spell book, but I'm sure we'll think of something together".

* * *

Callisto sat in a corner of a cell, hugging her knees. She was never claustrophobic, not like that weakling Ororo, but the cell was discomfortable even for the leader of Morlocks.

She missed them so much! Caliban and Melek, Lorelei and Shatter, Cybelle and Scaleface. And Jason. Especially Jason.

What a shallow woman his mother was! She fought for mutant supremacy, and yet she favored Graydon over Jason, because Graydon could pass for a human. Why couldn't she see how much Jason was worth? Why it took an old cynical officer/spy to see it?

_Oh, Jason, don't do anything stupid. Without you everything is hopeless._

Callisto hated the defeatist attitude, but couldn't see how the remaining Morlocks could save her. Mole Man thought about everything. Not bad for a midget with delusions of grandeur.

If Jason comes after her, he'd be killed. Or worse, captured and turned into Mole Man's mindless puppet. What a horrible fate for a warrior and a son of a warrior!

"Please, let me die", she prayed.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	4. Mazes and Monsters Part 3

**Mazes and Monsters**

**Part 3.**

**

* * *

**

"This sucks!" exclaimed a figure in red-blue spandex suit, hanging upside down from the ceiling of the nameless cave.

Flash Thompson was not in a good mood to say the least. In fact, never felt so miserable. What did he do that his life was screwed up so badly?

He hated these caverns. He hated Morlocks - couldn't the old fart give them the mission to save a kingdom full of hot chicks in chainmail bikinis? First and foremost, he hated his team.

His team? What an awful joke! Captain America, Iron Man and Thor – now that's a team. But Exiles? Miner on steroids, creepy alien samurai with the ears of Spock, and his bald mutant buddy, straight from Area 51. Timebroker must have scrapped the bottom of the barrel.

Sure, Russian Amazon was a hot piece of tail, but what's in it for him? Flash highly doubted he'll win any dates with her. Not after Timebroker's show. Flash saw Crimson Dynamo in action, and it wasn't encouraging at all. On the contrary, it was screaming "look, but not touch". And what was she thinking, threatening to cause a cave-in? Flash had heard that all Russians are crazy, but this stunt of hers was in the same league with skydiving without parachute.

Goth girl was even worse. She couldn't last five minutes without comparing him to _Spider-Man_. Must be hell of a crush if she can't stop talking about this guy!

He couldn't say much about so-called hospitality of Morlocks. The dinner menu consisted of mushrooms and the meat which taste he couldn't recognize. Flash hoped that the meat belonged to sewer alligators or something as harmless, that their hosts weren't cannibals.

Shortly after the dinner he was practically dragged to the large cavern full of broken machinery. It looked like an attempt of the extremely rich Star Wars fan to recreate the insides of Jawa Sandcrawler. Captain Spider, Mr. Rockman-Give-Me-Back-My-Kingdom-Or-Else and a half dozen of Morlock weightlifters given the task to sort out the dusty remains of robots.

_Couldn't Goldilocks sort that junk all by herself? What's the point of babbling about women rights? They expect us to treat them as equals, until it's time to do heavy lifting_, he thought cynically.

But the worst part of the day was when they finished sorting and cleaning. Dynamo and her assistant, a weird cross between biker and Wyatt Earp, started to assemble robots, ignoring everything else. Pointy-eared swordsman told Flash, "your assistance is no longer needeth" and sent him away, without so much of a thank you.

_A team, my butt! I'd bet the last quarter that Timebroker is laughing his head off at our expense!_

He repeated loudly, "This sucks!"

"Are you talking to yourself, Spider? It's not healthy".

Flash nearly fell, but regained his composure when he saw that it was just a Nightblade.

"Climb down, Spider, we need to talk".

Captain Spider landed next to Jason.

"What do you want?" asked Captain Spider in him most unfriendly tone.

"Oh, very simple, Spider. I'm sure you'd like it. I want you to attack me".

Flash wanted to correct Jason "it's CAPTAIN Spider", but the unusual request caught him off guard.

"Um... you want me to do WHAT?"

Nightblade repeated patiently, "I want you to attack me. You lack the proper training, and I don't have time to play drill sergeant, but I can show you how to avoid the most common mistakes".

_Let's show Ape-Man that he is not dealing with an amateur here! A little payback won't hurt, right?_

Flash drew his arm back and swung hard. His fist was immediately blocked by Nightblade's palm. For a moment they were in standstill, then Jason's hand disappeared. Captain Spider lost the balance and tripped; Jason kicked the legs out of him and pinned him down with a knee. Flash tried to get up, but his hands were painfully twisted behind his back.

"Ouch!"

"You are strong and agile, why you were caught?" not waiting for Flash to answer, Nightblade explained, "You were thinking too slow and allowed your own strength to be used against you. Trust you body to do the thinking for you".

He stood up, releasing Flash, and commanded, "Again. This time try to do the real damage. Do your best. Don't worry, I'll heal".

"Is this the way you want it, Blue? Fine for me, it means the gloves are off!" Captain Spider said, slamming a fist into his palm.

He leapt up to the cave wall. Then he jumped off the wall to the stone column, then to the large stalactite, then to the ceiling. Nightblade waited with arms crossed, unimpressed by his opponent's wall-crawling abilities. Captain Spider kept jumping, until he saw the right moment for the attack, and lunged at Jason like a red-blue cheetah...

Nightblade faded from view before Flash could land a punch.

"Hey! The hell!"

Spider-sense started tingling, but its warning couldn't save him from the strong punch in the gut and a following kick to the head. Flash landed on his back, seeing stars.

Jason's camouflage faded. He looked down at the Captain Spider, who was summoning energy to stand up and attack again, despite the pain and the spinning head.

"You must think how to defeat your enemy, not to impress him. Your demonstration was unnecessary. Fighting is like poker. Don't show your hand too early".

"You turned invisible! It's not fair!" said Flash as he staggered back to his feet.

Nightblade frowned, "Fair? You think your enemies are going to warn you? That's the point of training – to get ready for everything! And I wasn't completely invisible. If you paid more attention, you'd see the waver in the air every time I moved".

"But..."

"But nothing. Try again".

Third attack ended with his arm grabbed in a vice-like hold

"Goddammit, you almost broke my arm!"

"I didn't. Your arm is still intact, Spider. So quit your whining and try again".

_Whining? I'll show you whining!_

After six unsuccessful attempts – and more lectures from Sensei Howlett - Flash asked wearily, "Does it have to be so painful?"

Blue bastard just bared his fangs, "Pain is a good teacher. Try again".

* * *

"Callisto, warrior queen of the Morlocks," she was woken up by the hateful voice of Mole Man. "Have you slept well?" Callisto scoffed at how ridiculous he looked in a purple mantle of a ruler.

She answered sweetly, "Of course I did. Your hospitality is so charming, and this apartment is worthy of a queen. Why don't you join me for breakfast?"

Mole Man tried a different approach, "I came to tell you that I've made a decision. You are the waste of time, Callisto. It's not worthy to spend months, maybe years of my life researching why you are immune to the serum. After all, the immunity can't protect you from the execution".

"Who do you want to impress by executing me, little man? Moloids? Or the men and women you brainwashed? You thing they'd appreciate the spectacle?"

"I think I know the man who will be impressed. Your furry boyfriend. I left an invitation for him, so now I expect special guests".

"Son of the..."

Mole Man continued, ignoring the curses, "The question now is, how he is planning to do it? Alone, like a knight in the dragon's lair? Or he brings more lambs for the slaughter?"

"Jason will kill you," her voice was strained.

"Jason Howlett? Kill ME? If that's what you believe, then you are dumber than I thought," Mole Man bared yellowish teeth. "But you don't believe in miracles, do you, Callisto? So save your false bravery for later, you'll need it".

Mole Man left.

Callisto clenched her fists, holding back the sobs. She wasn't going to give the mad dwarf the satisfaction of seeing her broken.

_He called __Jason Howlett my boyfriend. If only it was true._

_

* * *

_

Seeing Hulkling on daily basis and accepting Super-Skrull-in-training as Karolina's fiancée dulled her xenophobia dramatically. Faces of Morlocks weren't bothering her at all. But the talk with Jason Howlett made Nico Minoru feel uneasy.

When Doctor Strange wanted to test Nico's magic, it was easy to admit how limited was her knowledge of mystical arts. Her paltry skills couldn't possibly impress the Sorcerer Supreme. But Nightblade's questioning… now it was humiliating.

Yes, she can teleport the others; and no, the spell can't work if she'd never seen the place before. Yes, her invisibility spell can hide a small team; and no, it's impossible to do the same with the whole army of Morlocks. Yes, the Staff of One contained the endless library of spells; and no, it can't cast the same spell twice. Doc Strange and his old-fashioned ideas about of education made her useless in the upcoming battle.

Nico was sure that there's more she can offer to Nightblade than just being a foot soldier with a magical staff. She just needs time to figure something out...

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Lorelei was one of their guides, was also a real honest-to-god mermaid. Strange that she was hiding in the underground tunnels, not in the depths of the Pacific. Banner's undeclared war against Atlanteans was a failure from the start. King Namor had beaten him, fair and square.

"I just sorta spaced out for a moment," Nico. "What did you just ask?"

"Dzemal told me that you are a team of superheroes. That's true?"

"Sort of".

"And what you are doing for the team? Are you a priestess?"

"Actually, I am a witch," seeing the sad expression on the mermaid's face, Nico added, "I hope you are not the religious type".

"Religious, me? No! I lived in District X. I don't care what the book says. If the God exists, he is either blind or just doesn't care".

"Then what's bothering you?"

"Nico, aren't you a bit young for this?"

That was a loaded question. Was she too young to learn that her parents were a part of the secret society of supervillains; to run away with a stolen magical staff; to confront superheroes and defeat Old Gods? Was she too young to travel through time?

Finally Nico answered, "You haven't seen the youngest member of my old team". Memories of Molly Hayes, self-proclaimed "Princess Powerful", slightly improved her mood. Then Nico's thoughts switched to the little adventure she had in the night club when she was still a Runaway.

_That's it!_ Nico had her answer.

"I'm sorry, Lorelei. I must see Nightblade. It's urgent".

* * *

The stadium-shaped cavern was filled to its capacity and then some. It was the largest crowd of Morlocks Darwin had ever seen.

Darwin understood that as a mutant disfigured by his powers since birth, he could end up as a Morlock. Could the life in Subterrania be better that the one he led? Darwin had no idea; he wasn't much into what-if scenarios.

Nightblade stepped in the center of the cavern and raised his arms in a gesture of attention.

"Brothers, we waited enough, our day had come! No more hiding! It's time to free our people from slavery and to end Mole Man's reign! Let him think that he holds all the cards; because now he'd have to face six heroes from parallel universes," He gestured towards the Exiles. "Mole Man doesn't know them, he can't have a strategy against them, and that's what gives us so needed advantage! We can beat Mole Man – and we'll beat him!"

A wave of cheers erupted from around the area.

"Crimson Dynamo! Razorback! You are in charge of the Operation Gungan".

Russian superheroine greeted him with a flawless salute. Mutant wearing a boar mask just nodded.

"Rockman! Use the drilling machine to make a passage for the army!"

He bowed his head slightly, acknowledging Jason's words.

"Sister Grimm?"

Nico stepped forward.

"When the time is right - cast your spell. You have my blessing".

_Spell? It wasn't a part of a plan! _Darwin didn't want to rely on magic. It's too unstable.

"Raza Longknife! Darwin! I've changed my mind about the Operation Needle. Raza stays with the army, Darwin is coming with me".

_It's been a long time since I was a part of a rescue operation. For the same of all these Morlocks, I need much more luck than I had on Krakoa._

Darwin glanced at Raza. Alien's face gave nothing away._  
_

Nightblade addressed all the Morlocks, "Today we will return all the lands that belonged to us before Mole Man turned them into his domain! We get revenge for all the people he abducted and enslaved! We'll do everything that is possible to return Callisto! Are you with me?"

The crowd of Morlocks roared.

"Then let's fight! For freedom! For our kingdom! For revenge!"

Shouting, whistles and cheers. Morlocks were fed up with Mole Man as a neighbour.

Darwin increased the hearing range before the meeting, and that's why he heard two voices while standing in the middle of the crowd.

"What do you think about our chances, Lena?" It was Dave Landers, the mechanic.

"If you don't want the answer, then why ask a question! Just cross your fingers and pray," answered Crimson Dynamo.

"I thought you are an Atheist".

"I am. But do you know the anecdote about Niels Bohr and lucky horseshoe?"

Landers quoted, _"They say it helps even if you don't believe it?"_

Darwin wasn't superstitious. He was a man of science. But considering all the holes in the Nightblade's plane, it's probably as good time as any to start praying.

_I wonder if Landers __has a spare horseshoe that I can borrow?  
_

_

* * *

_

_To be continued…_


	5. Mazes and Monsters Part 4

**Mazes and Monsters**

**Part 4.**

**

* * *

**

A nearly silent whoosh of air, and Darwin was hit by three small darts. Mutant clamped his mouth shut to keep from crying out. Nightblade rushed to the injured teammate to try to help him.

Darwin mumbled, "Need to… catch a breath," he leaned against the rocky wall and slowly pulled the darts out of his body, hissing from pain.

"Poison," said Nightblade in disgust after sniffing the tip of the dart.

"Don't… worry for me," Darwin got up slowly. His body already built immunity to neurotoxin and started to seal the wounds.

"You are tougher than you look," admitted Nightblade when his companion straightened up.

"I… died once. Don't want… to do… this again… Find... what triggered the trap..."

"It was a pressure plate," feral man studied the floor with mild interest. "Never saw this particular design before. Next time I won't miss it, I promise".

"Can I write this… down?" said Darwin while doing a poor impersonation of Atrhur Dent.

"Haha, very funny".

"Too bad I'm not one of your soldiers. I haven't been to Subterrania for years".

"I could take one of them," agreed Nightblade, "but decided against it. Now keep quiet and move quickly. We don't have much time," he commanded in a hushed tone, and nodded in approval when the footsteps of adaptoid mutant faded to nothing.

If Darwin's ego was as big as Captain Spider's, he can probably start bitching about Nightblade not being fair and using him as a mine detector. That as the leader of Exiles he must stay with his people. But Darwin knew enough about the war to recognize a natural born strategist when he saw one. Nightblade thought about everything, including Darwin's personal problems.

Tallus was a huge responsibility and Darwin wasn't sure if he was up to it. He wasn't a big gun when it came to mutant powers. If he hoped to win a respect of all the Exiles, he needed an edge, something more than just survival skills. Timebroker could give him Tallus as a sign of his new status, but there's a gaping chasm between an appointed leader and a true one. Nightblade knew the difference too, so he gave Darwin an opportunity to prove his value to the team by taking him to Mole Man's kingdom.

Adaptoid hoped that Exiles can survive the trial by fire without him.

The next three traps were too oblivious - infrared sensor and two tripwires. Jason warned Darwin to move with extreme vigilance - he started to suspect that they were just distractions from the real trap. He stopped abruptly as the new scent assaulted his nostrils.

"The guards are coming! Find a place to hide quickly!"

Darwin grew the suction cups on his fingers and palms and quickly climbed the ceiling. Jason stepped into a natural orifice in the wall and faded from view.

Six Moloids armed by spears passed not noticing the heroes. When they were gone, Darwin climbed down and Nightblade reappeared.

"Interesting ability," commented Darwin.

"I've got it from my mother. She was a shapeshifter," answered Nightblade in a flat tone. "Let's go".

Adaptoid mutant thought,_ Jason doesn't look like a man whose childhood was all fun and games. I wonder if there is place in the Omniverse where Mystique can get Mother of the Year award, or it's easier to find the world full of flying elephants._ He immediately chided himself. _Your curiosity can wait until this mission over. Assuming he wants to talk about his mother. _

Nightblade found three more pressure plates. Darwin's skin was turned into armor as he disarmed them.

"Fire, noxious fumes and darts again? Where's the special trap you warned me about?" asked Darwin.

"I could overestimate Mole Man".

Two hours, five nasty traps and two successfully avoided patrols later the mutants reached their goal - main entrance to the vast system of tunnels and caverns that Mole Man claimed as his kingdom, completely ignoring the opinions of Morlocks and Terrax.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at Morlock's tunnels, Crimson Dynamo felt a tremendous amount of distress for she was not nearly as prepared for an attack as she thought before Darwin's departure.

Her eyes found Nico. The witch sat silently with her face in shadow, eyes closed, and magical staff on her knees, ignoring the surroundings

_Operation Gungan. What a __wicked sense of humor! _

As a part of the Winter Guard Yelena Belova knew what it's like to be in charge. But her subordinates were the groups of Spetsnaz or the local militia units that held too much respect for the Soviet super-soldiers to disrespect their orders. She never had to deal with a ragtag bunch of costumed heroes who barely knew each other. Too many questions unanswered, too many unknown factors at play. Why she had a feeling that Raza and the Morlock in boar mask are keeping something important from her? What was the meaning of Nico's ritual - meditation or something more? Was it really necessary to perform all these tests on drill machine, or it was Rockman's way to calm himself?

And Captain Spider wasn't helping by putting foot into his mouth again.

"That's the best you could come up with for me? Babysitting an old geezer?" It never occurred to him that insulting a Morlock in front of his fifty heavily armed friends is not the brightest idea if you want to come away with your head intact. "Why can't you just tell the truth that you want to keep me away from the fight?"

"Why would I want to do a thing like that?"

"Because you have a grudge against me, just like the Goth chick!"

"Healer is one of the oldest and the most respected Morlocks," explained Yelena, summoning the rest of her patience. Mental images in her head pictured various ways to dispose of the obnoxious wall-crawling menace – from simple choking to disemboweling and incinerating – and it was too tempting. "Technically you were asked to become a bodyguard of Vice President, so there's no reason for you to feel insulted".

"Wait, isn't Nightblade the Vice President?" asked Captain Spider, ignoring a slight tone of anger in her voice.

"No, Nightblade is Commander-in-Chief," they were joined by Dave Landers. In addition to the guns, mechanic was armed with a double-barreled shotgun. "And Healer is one of his best friends," he smiled malevolently, "Aha! NOW you seem worried, don't you, Spidey?"

"He IS worried," confirmed Yelena. "And I think he owes Healer an apology. Right?" she asked commandingly looking straight at the masked face of Flash Thompson.

"My Dad always told me, "_Never apologize unless you mean it_," Captain Spider stared back, lifting his chin defiantly.

Healer who overheard most of the conversation responded solemnly. "He is young, He'll likely learn manners sometime…, or not".

"Don't worry, old man, I'll behave myself. Can't speak for them, though," Flash motioned at the armed Morlocks.

"I hate to agree with him, but he is right," Nico said not opening her eyes. "There is so much tension in the air you could cut it with a knife".

Rockman, totally oblivious to the conversation on the other end of the tunnel, kept inspecting the giant-sized drill machine.

"Razorback and his merry band are giving you evil eye? Don't take it personally. They saw too much pain from the "surface dwellers". They are prejudiced against all of you, and they need a lot of time to trust anybody from the surface".

"But Raza seems to have no trouble getting along with them".

"Yes, because he is an alien".

Healer bowed his head sadly, "I'm afraid my people are not as open-minded as I wish sometimes. It could be easier if your mutant stayed with us".

"Can't argue with this," replied Crimson Dynamo. "But your Commander-in-Chief has different plans for Darwin".

Yelena Belova acknowledged that her wish to see Darwin wasn't selfless. She wanted to be able to step aside and let the mutant deal with Captain Spider and his antics. The robots from her Sentinel squad were following orders, not whining half of the time.

That was irresponsible. Training with Winter Guard deeply ingrained in her head that you don't skip the tasks because they are unpleasant, that wishful thinking is not going to make the problem go away.

_So there's no reason to start now._

"What about your plans, Lena? Can you and your Tin Squad take on an army of Moloids?"

"I hate to disillusion you, Dave, but I'm not a powerhouse of my team that you think I am. First of all, my specialization is aerial combat, and this is Subterrania".

"The same disadvantages as the tanks in the city?"

"Worse. I had to turn off all the big guns. It's too dangerous to use them in the tunnels".

"But I thought your weapons are more precise than theirs".

Yelena sighed heavily, "Precision doesn't mean so much when you are surrounded by tons of rock".

"Are there more last minute complications I must know about? Rockman is going to start digging, better not to waste any time if we can fix something".

"There IS a complication. And it can't be fixed in a minute or two".

"Now I'm scared. What's wrong?"

"I only tested control interface with the groups of three or four Sentinels. I can't predict what happens if I establish the link with all the robots simultaneously. The feedback can overload suit's central processor. Then I'll get stuck in the armor, and just as useful in the battle as a statue".

"Can't you set all of them up on autopilot?"

"Too risky. Sentinels are too primitive for the best versions of AI programs I had in store. The one I've installed isn't complex enough for the battles that don't require maximum overkill", explained Yelena. "Left to their own devices, the robots can kill all the Morlocks and leave Moloids to run free". "So don't expect too much".

Dave Landers smiled, "Lena, I never thought of you as a powerhouse. And I promise I'll be happy to help you out of the armor if you get stuck in it".

"You sound too sure of yourself".

"Once I had to help a girl that got stuck in the wedding dress with a hundred of small buttons. Now that's what I call a challenge. Your armor is a child's play in comparison with that white lacy monstrosity".

"You never told me that you were married".

"**I** wasn't," Dave answered giving Yelena a sly wink. The woman looked at him incredulously for a moment, and then burst out laughing helplessly.

Rockman sat in the driver's seat, put the key in the ignition and turned it on. Roar of the drill machine, loud as Tyrannosaurs' scream, filled the tunnels.

Crimson Dynamo made a decision that it was as good time as any for a stress test of the control interface.

_**PROWLER UNIT #18777 – LINK ESTABLISHED.**_

_**PROWLER UNIT #18530 – LINK ESTABLISHED.**_

_**TRACKER UNIT #08243 – LINK ESTABLISHED.**_

_**PROWLER UNIT #19002 – LINK ESTABLISHED.**_

_**PROWLER UNIT #22040…**_

* * *

The combined efforts of two mutants allowed them to cross the borders of Mole Man's empire unnoticed. It was naive to think that their luck could last forever. Jason Howlett wasn't naive.

"INTRUDERS!"

Nightblade quickly silenced the loud-mouthed Moloid by slitting his throat.

And that's when all hell broke loose.

Jason slashed and stabbed left and right with his daggers, taking full advantage of the enemy's confusion while he can. Darwin joined the fray, slashing the enemies with razor-sharp talons that were his nails two seconds ago. Massive Moloid with a halberd tried to cut him in two. Darwin sidestepped the halberd and slammed an elbow into Moloid's face, breaking the nose.

Vibranium daggers carved a bloody path in the ranks of Moloids. Nightblade crashed into several of them, killing two before they could regain a balance. A third one died when Jason stabbed him in the stomach.

Darwin noticed that Moloid officers were armed with energy guns, and the soldiers that surrounded Jason turned unintentionally into a living shield for him, so adaptoid was able to concentrate on the officers. He stopped trying to control his mutation. He relaxed and allowed his body to react on the dangers and work on countermeasures instinctively. Two energy blasts passed through his intangible form, then Darwin gave an officer a bear hug and grew spikes all over his body to kill Moloid.

Breaking the trachea of the soldier who almost stabbed him in the back, Darwin grabbed his spear and hurled it at the officer with the flamethrower with a precision and strength of Olympic gold medalist. An angry high-pitched scream was his reward.

The element of surprise was taken away from them. Moloids kept coming through the corridors. Nightblade saw that he was one man against an entire squadron of enemy fighters – and welcomed the challenge.

Any doubts Darwin could have about Nightblade's heritage disappeared. Only one mutant he ever saw displayed the methods of killing as swift, brutal and flawless as Jason Howlett. More and more Moloids went down, chocking on their own blood. Jason was unstoppable.

Darwin's elongated arm picked up the flamethrower from the floor. He turned in on, and Moloids erupted into fire. Two groups of soldiers who tried to sneak on Jason were the next. They had no chance to retreat – Darwin fried them alive.

Only one Moloid was spared by flames. Nightblade threw a knife at him. The blade caught Moloid in the chest.

"What are you waiting for?" asked Jason picking up his weapon. "Let's go!" Darwin followed him, throwing away the empty flamethrower.

Nightblade's nose led them to the dungeon.

Jason felt a bit of relief that they met no Morlocks on their way down here. Moloids, fanatical soldiers of a mad dwarf, were a fair game, but he tried to avoid spilling the blood of his kin.

"Her smell," whispered Jason. "The last cell on the left at the end of the corridor. She must be there".

The prison cell was empty.

"No," it was barely audible.

The word hung in the air like a death sentence. They came so far; they stormed the enemy's citadel - only to find out that they are too late. Callisto was already dragged away for execution.

Everybody has a breaking point – and Jason Howlett has reached his.

"No!" shouted Nightblade, not caring if the whole Subterrania hears him. "**NOOO**!"

Earlier Darwin saw only the glimpses of Jason's feral side through the calm facade. Now he was looking in the wild yellow eyes of the beast grieving the loss of his mate.

And there was nothing Darwin could say or do to help him.

* * *

_To be continued…_


	6. Mazes and Monsters Part 5

**Mazes and Monsters**

**Part 5.**

Nightblade stood in the centre of Callisto's cell, silently staring into nothingness; his yellow eyes were empty.

Darwin understood Jason's anguish completely. He experienced the same feeling of loss and loneliness when his team was killed on Krakoa, when he was forced to watch the woman he had ever loved being sliced in half, when he awakened in the world where nobody remembered him and his friends. That was enough to drive an ordinary person insane. Darwin survived, but a part of him withered and died.

Darwin understood. But he wasn't blind to the fact that the leader of Morlocks picked the wrong time and the wrong place for falling apart.

Adaptoid mutant grabbed Nightblade's shoulders and started shaking him fiercely, "C'mon, let's get out of here!" Morlock's reaction was far from desirable. In fact, Darwin got no reaction from Jason at all.

"Get a grip! We are not out of the woods yet!"

Again, he got no reaction.

_You are a mighty good leader – can't even help a depressed teammate! Why on earth Timebroker gave me the Tallus?_

The stray thought about Tallus invoked a chain reaction in Darwin's mind that ended with a light bulb popping up above his head.

"Listen to me! Timebroker is watching us! And I never got 'mission failed' message! Nothing, you hear me? The mission is NOT failed yet! Callisto can still be alive! Do you understand? She-can-still-be-alive! SHE-CAN-BE-ALIVE!"

Darwin kept shaking him and repeating these words again and again like a spell, until he felt that Jason relaxed.

"Thanks, Armando, I needed it," Nightblade took deep calming breaths, desperate trying to slow down the frantic beating of his heart. "Now you see why I have chosen you and not one of my soldiers?" The attempt to joke was rather poor, but for Darwin it was a good sign. The moment of weakness passed and the fearless leader of Morlocks was back. "And you are right. For all I know about Mole Man, he never could miss a chance to gloat. Killing Callisto is not enough. He needs a grand spectacle".

"And until the final curtain falls, there's a chance for us to rescue her," finished Darwin. "So let's not waste our time!"

When the old blanket accidentally tangled around Jason's leg, a small piece of paper fell out of its folds.

"What is it?" Jason grabbed a piece of paper. It was a handwritten note.

_"Nightblade,_

_By the time you are reading this, Callisto must already reach a place of execution. Yes, I guessed that you are going accept my invitation and show up. For a former military man, you are too predicable._

_Here's the bad news: there's nothing you can do to stop the execution. And before you try something foolishly heroic, let me give you some food for thought. As you noticed, Callisto wasn't my only _"_guest_"_. If you go after your damsel in distress, that means leaving the prisoners to face certain death in the hands of Moloids. Make your choice, Mr. Dudley-Do-It-Right! A ghost of a chance to save Callisto or the lives of fifteen Morlocks as a consolation prize!_

_P.S. If your trained monkeys are staging a false attack to distract me from your daring rescue, they are in for a BIG surprise"._

Jason was right. Mole Man couldn't miss his chance to gloat.

Nightblade studied piece of paper intently and said through gritted teeth, "Great Scott! That's why I couldn't tell that the cage is empty!" Darwin gave him a puzzled look and Morlock explained, "Mole Man was smart enough to figure out how to mess with my sense of smell. The paper is pheromone-laced".

"Neat trick. I think it's a pretty safe bet that he sprayed this stuff all over the place to misguide you".

_And without __Jason's sense of smell we__ can blindly wander through these corridors for hours and find nothing._

"Can your Tallus draw us a map or something?"

"Like GPS? Sorry, it doesn't work that way".

A pregnant pause filled the air.

"Well, well, well. It seems you two are in serious trouble," they turned around to see a hooded figure standing in the doorway.

* * *

Giant drill was grinding through the hardest stone with impressive speed.

Morlocks's usual policy was not to throw things away, even the trophies they considered useless. Now their habits worked at Exiles' advantage – first with the broken Sentinels, then with Roxxon drill machine.

Nico rubbed her temples. Between Crimson Dynamo playing with her toy soldiers and the constant roar of the machine it wasn't easy to stay focused.

_And __I can't afford to get distracted. If the spell works, it can cost me all my inner resources, but if it doesn't…_

"Rockman is a king? I mean, for real? It's not a cover-up story?" asked Dzemal.

"What's with all the questions about Rockman?"

"Well, for a royalty he is too good as a miner".

"If you have doubts about his story, don't ask me, ask him," Nico was irritated by the young Morlock's endless questions and his badly-hidden attraction towards her

"I don't want to distract him".

"That's why you keep distracting me?"

"Leave her alone, Dzemal," said Dave Landers with a smirk. "Don't you see, young lady is not in the mood?"

"Yessir," Morlock retreated with his tail between his legs. Satisfied by his reaction, Dave turned to Crimson Dynamo, "What about you, Lena? How are you doing so far? Are the robots causing you any trouble?"

"I'm getting a hand on manual control… Well, more or less," added Yelena after one of the Prowlers broke the ranks. "But it's like playing blindfold chess on twenty boards. I'll be too vulnerable if it comes to close combat".

_Yeah, me too_, thought Nico.

"Don't worry, Lena. I'll protect you", Dave patted the barrel of his shotgun.

_And who__ will protect me? Raza barely notices me - not that I wanted help from the agent of SWORD anyway. Wall-crawler is busy with Healer, Miss Belova – with her precious robots. And I stopped believing in guardian angels when I was eight._

When all the Sentinels finally stood still in perfect formation, Yelena asked the mechanic, "What was Roxxon mining equipment doing in your caverns anyway? What is so valuable down there to look for? Gold, diamonds? Uranium ore?"

"The only thing that matters to Morlocks is that Roxxon came to Subterrania uninvited. And, what's even worse, their careless digging ruined a lot of the tunnels. So they got just what they deserved. Don't look at me like I've just grown an extra head. Imagine Roxxon coming to your house looking for treasures and destroying the floor of your kitchen in the process?"

"Point taken".

Suddenly and without warning the man in red and blue spandex landed between them.

"What did I miss?"

"You moron! Never do this again!" yelled Landers lowering the shotgun.

"Scared?"

"No, relieved. I nearly made a new hole in your empty head! You are lucky I recognized you before I shot. Never – you heard me – never sneak up on a man with a loaded gun!"

"Unless you are bulletproof," added Yelena to ease the tension, tapping an armored finger against her metal shoulder pads.

"Of course, there's an exception to every rule," answered mechanic, the anger disappeared from his face as he flashed Yelena a brilliant smile, "and you are an exceptional woman, Lena, in any sense of the word".

Nico just rolled her eyes at the blatant display of flirting.

* * *

The woman looked almost as old as Healer, with an enormous amount of wrinkles on her face, graying hair and a slight stoop to her stance, but she was holding the energy rifle firmly.

"Old Zera likes what you did to the guards, Jason".

"How do you…"

Old woman smiled wryly, "Unlocked the door with a bobby pin. She wasn't always a farmer's wife. Or do you want to know how can Old Zera know your name? Callie told her".

"You know Callisto?"

"Old Zera was in the cell next to Callie's. Talked when we could; used Morse code. Callie was worried for you, afraid that you can go after her and walk into in a trap".

"Where is she?"

"Callie was dragged to Coliseum with all the Morlocks who can fight. Mole Man left only those who were weak, ill, or too old like Zera," the woman added, "She knows a short way to Coliseum".

"What about the other prisoners? We must free them before we go!"

"Old Zera can do it. And she can tell them that she sent you to get help. With all the Moloids in Coliseum, it's safer to stay here," she looked at him with a mix of sadness and empathy in her old eyes. "Zera I can't ask you to forfeit your woman's life. Go and save Callie. Old Zera can hold the fort until you return".

"Can you? Do you know how to use this weapon?"

Without a word of warning Zera fired a single shot from energy rifle, beheading the statue of Mole Man.

"Wow!"

"Does it answer your question, son?"

"Are you ex-cop or what?"

Old woman smiled proudly, "Told you, Zera wasn't always a farmer's wife".

* * *

Crimson Dynamo entered the large empty cave on the other end of Rockman's tunnel, accompanied by her Sentinel Squad. Yelena thought that the cave was nothing like the ones she got used to when she was a guest of Morlocks - no stalactites hanging from the ceiling, large clearing in the middle of the cave and hundreds of flat rectangular stones surrounding it.

Yelena waited patiently until the last Prowler joined the squad. Only then she ordered Razorback and his troops to follow her.

"Whoa! What kind of place is this, a circus arena?" exclaimed Dzemal.

"Sure, if the circus owners were Neanderthals".

Healer and his reluctant bodyguard were the last who walked into the cave.

"Guys, my spider-sense is tingling," said Captain Spider nervously when he joined the others.

Razorback snorted like a pig, trying to contain his amusement, "In case you didn't notice, we are going straight into the monster's lair".

"I'm serious! My spider-sense is going mad!"

Dave asked, "Are you sure it's not a bad case of poison ivy? Because all I see is the big empty…"

The wall at the opposite end of the cave shimmered and disappeared.

"…cave".

Too late Yelena understood what happened. They were fooled by a hologram. Captain Spider warned them too late, the trap was already sprung. Now they had to face an army of Moloids in their territory and on their terms.

_Damn? What was wrong with my sensors? Holograms can fool your eyes, but there were no life signatures either!_

Crimson Dynamo launched a threat assessment program. The results were unsatisfactory – her allies were outnumbered by approximately five to one.

But Moloids and brainwashed Morlocks were the least of her problems. Three monsters, and each of them was easily twice as large as Yelena's battle robots, approached her army from the right flank. One of them was a twisted caricature of a dragon, with glowing red eye in the centre of scaly lizard's head and two huge rows of sharp yellow teeth. The second one looked more like a mammal, with two long horns that protrude from the sides of its head; he was covered with spikes that would make a porcupine jealous. The largest of them all moved slowly, which was appropriate because the monster looked like a gigantic snail with the large octopus-like tentacles and shell that resembled tank armor.

"Mole Man was waiting for us!" Dave Landers loaded the shotgun, aiming it at the big lizard's head.

Dzemal gasped, "Sweet Jesus! What are these things?"

Healer reprimanded him, "Jesus has nothing to do with these abominations! And don't you ever use God's name in vain!"

Razorback shouted, "FALL BACK! Crimson Dynamo, cover us! There are too many of them!"

The dwarf in a purple mantle who stood in the middle of the enemy army tapped his staff thrice upon the stone floor. The ground started to shake fiercely. Yelena turned back to see Rockman's tunnel, their only way back, was sealed by a cave-in.

Mole Man's evil laughter was Oscar-worthy.

"We can't retreat!"

"Thanks a lot, Captain Oblivious!"

Forcing herself to remain calm, Crimson Dynamo ordered, "Everybody, time for Plan B! Assume the positions; hit them with all you have, no holding back! If Mole Man wants to fight, let's give him fight he never forgets!"

She marked three beasts as primary targets and ordered Sentinels to open fire.

* * *

_To be continued…_


	7. Mazes and Monsters Part 6

**Mazes and Monsters**

**Part 6**

"You must be proud, Callisto! Your people love you so much! Too bad their misplaced loyalty will be the reason of their downfall!"

Callisto thought in disgust that Mole Man was acting like five-year old. He just couldn't stop talking since his sensors detected intruders inside of Coliseum.

The dwarf rubbed his hands together in delight, "Think about it, queen of Morlocks! Today they will die in vain! You'll hear their screams and see them burning!"

Her stomach was twisting into knots – Mole Man's taunts wounded her deeply. But Callisto forced herself to stay calm when she answered, "I had a lot of time to think when I was in your jail. And you know what? It's too early to congratulate yourself, Grumpy. Don't make me laugh suggesting that you know Nightblade better than I do. He is anything but a fool, and you showed your hand by sending an invitation. You could as well add the word "TRAP" in the end of your letter. What's the matter, genius? You finally lost what's left of your mind?"

His fake smile turned into a frightening scowl. Mole Man slapped Callisto across the face, hardly.

"Very brave of you to hit me when I wear these chains," she licked the blood from her upper lip. Callisto expected him to hit her again, but instead he ordered his goons, "Gag her". When it was done, the dwarf said sweetly, "Don't bother to insult me, my dear, I'm not going to kill you… not yet. Enjoy the show!"

Mole Man pushed the button on his staff, deactivating the hologram.

* * *

Crimson Dynamo cursed her luck. That was exactly the kind of situation she wanted to avoid. Yelena had to face heavy armored opponents with a squad of half-repaired robots. None of the Sentinels in her disposal was Omega Class, and she wasn't able to use the big guns from her arsenal.

Five Prowlers were busy holding back Mole Man's cannon fodder; the rest of the robots concentrated the fire on the giant beasts. The monsters slowly advanced, the fire from energy cannons made them stagger backwards and roar in pain, but the damage was superficial.

Caliban hissed as he sunk the claws into Moloid officer's throat. The blood of slain enemies covered his thin gray body like a war paint.

Dzemal cried out, "Dave! Moloids at two o'clock!"

Dave Landers broke open a shotgun and reloaded it. Two Moloids rushed forward before Landers could shoot, but they were blocked by Litterbug.

Nico hid behind the Sentinel's back when the stray bullet grazed her leg. The teenage sorceress touched the graze, examined the blood on her fingers and chanted, **"When the blood is shed, let the Staff of One emerge!"**

* * *

When the hologram faded, Callisto's eye opened up widely in surprise. Morlocks came after her, but they weren't alone. Nightblade's army was surrounded by the battle robots.

Bruce Banner built Sentinels with a single purpose – to hunt and kill all the mutant population. How could Jason force the mechanical predators to fight on his side?

_Do you need to ask? It's Jason, he can move heaven and earth for you._ For the first time since the capture Callisto allowed herself the slightest gleam of hope.

Whatever Mole Man thought about the appearance of Sentinels, he did his best to hide his feelings.

"KILL THEM!"

Callisto tried to find Jason among the Morlocks, but couldn't.

* * *

It felt like hours had passed since the hideous creatures of Mole Man began their assault. The battle, despite Razorback's best efforts, quickly turned hand-to-hand. Crimson Dynamo wished she could do more to help Morlocks, but stopping three monsters was more important.

Cybelle was the first to fall. While trying to find a better place to shoot from he was hit squarely in the stomach with energy blast.

Sunder, a hulking mutant with greenish skin, raised both fists with roar and delivered a powerful slam to the Moloid's head, crushing his skull into pieces. He kicked another Moloid, crushing his chest, and hurled his fist towards the third, turning his face at the bloody mess. Two Morlocks with the machine guns followed the giant, covering him from the flanks.

Two Moloid soldiers pointed the energy rifles at the drill car. Thin Morlock with elongated head formed a mirror-like shield, reflecting the rays back. The weapons exploded, killing Moloids instantly.

Lizard monster lost one of its eyes thanks to a lucky shot from the plasma turret. Enraged, the beast demonstrated that it had better weapons than claws. The beast opened its mouth and spewed a stream of acid at the Prowler. The acid was powerful; even Sentinel's tough armor started to dissolve.

_**PROWLER UNIT #104993 REPORTING. DAMAGE IS SEVERE. SYSTEM EFFICIENCY: 36%.**_

Crimson Dynamo cursed again.

* * *

For Callisto it was a day full of surprises. The arrival of Sentinels was unexpected, but then she saw _Iron Maiden_ in the middle of their squad (_now I see who tamed these tin cans_, she thought) and the well-built guy who wore a mask and a red & blue outfit with a spider emblem. The twin brother of Spider-Girl punched everybody who came too close to Healer.

_If Avengers survived, it's a miracle! But when they've been hiding all these years? And… where's Jason?_

A new wave of attackers was driven back by Caliban and Scaleface in her reptilian form. Callisto smiled; Moloids had bitten more than they could chew with these two.

Her smile attracted unneeded attention from Mole Man's bodyguard. Worm threw her a dark glare. Callisto pretended to ignore him. Worm disgusted her – not by his appearance, but he was the only Morlock who served the mad dwarf willingly.

Maybe it was good that she was gagged. Who knows what she could say to this traitor.

_An hour earlier I__'d welcome death with open arms; but not now, not when I have a chance to survive. _

* * *

When the giant lizard swung its spiked tail as a whip, Captain Spider grabbed Healer unceremoniously, leaped into the air and landed on the wall.

"Let me go, you big ape! I must save him!"

Captain Spider yelled back, "Do you have a deathwish?" He forced old man to turn his head back and see the fate of the wounded Morlock. The mutant was crushed to death by the severed head of Tracker Sentinel.

Healer looked in dismay at what was left of his patient and said, "Sorry. And… thank you".

"You are welcome".

Rockman dived for cover when the bullet shattered the windshield. Unfortunately, the drill car wasn't designed to withstand a barrage of bullets and laser rays.

_I need to divert their attention from the machine._

Rockman grabbed the gun from the rear seat, jumped out of the car and fired, killing three Moloids at once. The weapon he used was a modified plasma turret removed from the broken Sentinel. Rockman wasn't a good shot, but with the guns like this one a physical strength was needed more than a precision.

Morlocks with white eyes tried to jump on the young witch from behind. Dave Landers killed them with a heavy heart.

As the final incantation of her spell was completed, Nico raised the Staff of One. The words in Latin flow from her lips with ease. The tip of the staff started to glow brightly.

Nico's head was swimming. Doctor Strange warned her to expect nasty aftereffects from this spell. But she wasn't prepared to feel like the staff was drinking her blood. Nico couldn't stop the spell, so she had to hold in by the sheer force of will.

The mesmerizing blue light from the staff began to engulf the whole cave.

Captain Spider landed on the ground carefully; Razorback was waiting for him.

"Spider? We have a plan that needs your special skills. We must move fast, the light is the distraction we needed".

Flash asked, "What about Healer?"

Old Morlock smiled, "Started worrying for me at last?"

Razorback tapped wall-crawler on the shoulder, "Don't worry, Spider, we'll take care of him".

* * *

Callisto spent a lot of time with brainwashed Morlocks, so she immediately noticed the changes in the mutants touched by the blue light. The mist in their eyes began to dissolve.

Callisto smiled victoriously; she doubted that Mole Man included magic in his equations.

The battle, already as chaotic as it could be, turned into a scuffle. A lot of Morlocks came to their senses enough to understand what's going on. They opened a random fire targeting all the Moloids in the line-of-sight range.

Callisto recognized one of them - Erg from Drain Dwellers tribe. He killed two Moloid soldiers and one officer before he was caught in crossfire.

The moment of sadness was fleeting as the woman finally noticed the blue-skinned figure, standing next to Razorback and the spider-themed Avenger.

_Jason! Thank God__, you are alive!_

* * *

Yelena's army was reduced to twelve Prowlers and four Trackers.

_**PROWLER UNIT #104993 REPORTING. DAMAGE IS IRREPAIRABLE. SYSTEM EFFICIENCY: 13%.**_

The sight of her robots destroyed one by one filled Crimson Dynamo with a sudden sharp fury she never expected she held. Three and a half minutes ago Tracker Sentinel was pierced by the horns of the spiked monster and trampled under its hooves. Now she was losing one of the Prowlers, the robot was slowly dissolving after the encounter with the acid.

_**PROWLER UNIT #104993 REPORTING. DAMAGE IS IRREPAIRABLE. SYSTEM EFFICIENCY: 5%. SYSTEM SHUTTING DOWN...**_

It was her mistake; she underestimated the monsters' ability to withstand physical damage. Snail monster was the worst; its shell was too thick for the energy cannons, it was almost invincible. Two others were wounded by the robots, but they were far from death.

The lizard was ready to attack again when the blue figure dropped on its head, taking the acid-spitting beast by surprise. The sword gouged out the monster's remaining eye. Before the paws of the newly blind beast could grab him, the blue mutant jumped off its head, leaving the sword in the eye of the lizard. Captain Spider grabbed his hand and slowed the fall, but the spiked tail hit the heroes in mid-air, knocking out both of them.

Rockman approached the blind monster stepping extra careful to avoid the claws. The lizard was thrashing and convulsing on the stone floor. Rockman placed the barrel of his gun between the beast's jaws, set the charge to maximum and fired. The monster choked on its dying howl.

* * *

Callisto saw Nightblade regaining consciousness. Thanks to his healing factor, it was fast, but not fast enough, because he landed among the enemies.

Mole Man reached into his coat pocket, taking out a small pistol. Callisto paled; it didn't take long for her to remember the last time that gun was used. She started wiggling like a worm on a hook, trying to scream, to warn Jason… but the gag didn't budge. Mole Man grinned at her ineffectual efforts. He raised a gun and fired a single shot.

BANG!

Blue mutant slumped to the ground, with the dart lodged just below his shoulder blade.

The cave was filled with the echoes of Mole Man's triumphant laughter. He exclaimed, "You are finished, Howlett!"

* * *

_To be continued…_


	8. Mazes and Monsters Part 7

**Mazes and Monsters**

**Part 7**

The heavy hooves of spiked beast kept mauling the fallen Tracker Sentinel, too enraged pay attention to its shots.

_**TRACKER UNIT #85099 REPORTING. DAMAGE IS SEVERE. SYSTEM EFFICIENCY: 28%.**_

Crimson Dynamo established the contact with the damaged Sentinel.

_**MANUAL CONTROL – CAPTURE MODE IS ENGAGED.**_

Two metallic hands firmly clenched on the monster's legs, holding the beast in place. The furious beast was struggling, trying to break free from the robot's iron grip, he was howling like the incarnation of blind rage, but the machine couldn't feel pain. The rest of the robots simultaneously started the assault on the trapped creature.

Crimson Dynamo noticed with satisfaction that the monster's strength had its limits, and the pulse cannons considerably weakened his resolve. He was losing spikes that served as his main protection opening the way to vulnerable flesh. His legs finally gave out and he fell heavily. Switching to infrared, Yelena could see the life living the giant body,

"Two down, one more to go".

_**TRACKER UNIT #85099 REPORTING. DAMAGE IS CRITICAL. SHUTDOWN INITIATED.**_

The woman frowned. The victory certainly wasn't cheap - two Prowlers were now a metal scrap, and now she lost Tracker.

While she was finishing off the spiked monster, the giant snail got dangerously close to the positions where Razorback's troops were stationed. A small group of Morlocks led by Rockman tried to slow down the snail's progress), but their rifles were useless against its armored shell. Yelena saw that they could as well throw stones at the beast. Two long tentacles on the monster's forehead lashed forward, knocking everybody who stood on the monster's path. Rockman lost his gun, but dodged the living whips, and was looking around for something that can be used as a weapon.

Yelena calculated that as slow as the snail was, her Sentinels simply couldn't be fast enough to prevent it from reaching Razorback's.

_**ALL UNITS – STAND BY. **_

When the Sentinels stood still, Crimson Dynamo was already in mid-flight.

Rockman spotted her when she was hovering in air between the snail and Morlock soldiers, looking down and going through the best options to attack the monster.

"Dynamo!"

"Yes?"

"I know how to stop it, but you must cover me! Aim for the tentacles - they are vulnerable!"

_I hope it's a good plan_, thought Yelena. The armor-piercing rounds from her machine gun, combined with setting the tentacles on fire, caught the monster attention. It stopped; the tentacles rose up again, trying to catch the annoying red insect, but she was floating out of reach. And unlike the lizard monster, the snail couldn't spit acid.

It quickly dawned on her what he was up to, when Rockman started the drill machine.

The snail was caught in attempts to grab Crimson Dynamo. Before it could raise the tentacles and defend itself, the drill car rammed into the monster's less protected underbelly at full speed. Designed to make the tunnels in the hardest rock, Roxxon drill machine was able to do what energy cannons couldn't. The wide breach in the shell was opened and the dark foul-smelling blood started oozing from the wound. The tentacles wiggled trying to get rid of the foreign object, but it was stuck firmly in the shell.

Rockman left the drill car through the emergency hatch. His face was covered with a gas mask.

Crimson Dynamo signaled 'get back and take cover'. When all the Moloids were safe, she used flamethrower again to burn the way through the chaotic movement of the tentacles and landed close to the wound.

_**WEAPON OF CHOICE – SMART BOMB.**_

Crimson Dynamo fired the bomb into the emergency hatch, aiming it to make sure it reaches the pilot's cabin. Then she took off and activated the detonator. The result was overwhelming – the snail monster seemed to suddenly expand, imploding then exploding, its blood and gore went flying everywhere.

Yelena cringed when she saw the splashes of dark blood on her armor, but it was nothing in comparison to the victory.

"Good job, Rockman".

"It was my pleasure," the underground hero already removed the mask and she saw one of the rare smiles on his rough face, "Though I can't get the credit for the kill._ You_ killed that thing; I just softened it for you".

"I guess my little bomb was a bitter pill to swallow," she glanced at the remains of the monster, "Sorry if you had plans for that machine".

"Don't worry. After I used the drill as a battering ram, it wasn't salvageable anyway".

"That's a relief. Well. I think the monster hunting season is officially over. It's time find out what we missed".

* * *

Possibly for the first time in his miserable life, Mole Man could feel the sweet taste of revenge, coursing in his veins like red vine. Nightblade beneath his feet, unarmed and helpless, and the queen of Morlocks looking down, lost any shred of hope she could feet before – the picture was worth everything he sacrificed so far.

"Clever, isn't it?" the dwarf asked with a slightly too smug look and tone. "I've got you exactly where I wanted you, mutie. Without a leader your army is nothing - and I just neutralized a leader. Or should I say "neutered"?"

The sight of Nightblade's skin losing its color, from blue to pale white, filled Mole Man with twisted delight.

_Mutants and their sense of superiority! They can live in the sewers, eat garbage and still think you are beneath them. Who is Homo Superior now?_

"You thought X-Men destroyed all the samples of the Cure? WRONG!" Killing Nightblade was too easy now, but Mole Man didn't want him to die before he understands the part that made him special was just destroyed. "You are dying as a human, as _one of them!_" He waited to see Jason's reaction. But the mutant was motionless, his face betrayed nothing. "What, no bold farewell speeches? Are you sure you have nothing to say before I kill you?" More silence. "I guess that means "no". Mole Man nodded to one of his soldiers. "Finish him!"

Moloid soldier made a step forward to stab Nightblade with a spear. But the strangest thing happened. Jason's left hand turned into a blade and he sliced Moloid across the stomach.

_WHAT?_

It was impossible, but Nightblade was slowly got up, leaning on the spear. Part of his face became a metal, with the glowing artificial eye.

Mole Man gaped shockingly, trying to grasp the reality of the situation.

_Nightblade can't be a cyborg! It's impossible!_

"Boy, what a moron!"

Mole Man quickly turned and saw the very unusual trio standing in front of him. A muscular man covered from head to toe in red/blue spandex with black spider emblem, bald big-headed mutant in a violet costume, and… another Nightblade, who was holding a bloodstained knife in each hand, yellow eyes glowing dangerously.

"Darwin, is he really so thick and I have to spell it for him?" asked the man in a spandex suit. "Well, genius, congratulations - you shot the wrong Nightblade!"

Not allowing the words to finally sink in, the Nightblade impostor hurled the spear, aiming at Mole Man.

* * *

Raza Longknife was mildly disappointed by the turn of events. He agreed to play a part in Razorback's plan to deceive Mole Man and to convince him that Nightblade is with his army. At first their little deception worked like a charm. The dwarf suspected nothing, even used his anti-mutant weapon on him. Obliviously, The Cure wasn't working on aliens, but Raza played along, hoping to catch Mole Man off guard. But in the end he wasn't able to deliver the killing blow - Mole Man was too far to stab him, and the spear he hurled killed one of the Moloid bodyguards instead.

_So much for solving the problem with a single strike._

Darwin helped Raza to get up.

"I thought you might need this," Captain Spider handed him the sword he left in the dead monster's eye when the final blow of the dying lizard sent them both flying.

"I most certainly do".

They had no time to chat, for the battle continued on. Moloids rushed forward in the last desperate attempt to attack. The mutant in boar mask and his troops were stoically holding off the attackers.

Dave Landers grinded his teeth in annoyance - his shotgun jammed. Porcupine's body exploded with darts, stopping those who tried to sneak on Landers. Nodding gratefully, Dave pulled his modified Colts out of the holsters.

Litterbug gathered a group of ex-brainwashed Morlocks. Together they were making the way to join Razorback's forces. Caliban and Scaleface covered them from the back, fending off the Moloids.

Healer pressed his palms to the forehead of the wounded mutant, with a look of intense concentration on his face. Five armed Morlocks formed a protective circle around him. Nico joined them. She could barely stand - Mass Mind Cleansing from the Book of Vishanti was one of the most powerful and complicated spells in her grimoire. It freed Morlocks from the drug-induced submission, but drained her inner resources like a giant vacuum cleaner, so Nico was almost as defenseless as the old man. She regretted that the Purge spell in her staff was wasted when Runaways fought Cloak impostor.

But Nico forgot how incredibly exhausted she was as soon as she saw Nigthblade and Raza Longknife.

Nightblade… danced; she couldn't think of better word to describe his economic movements. He was striking with surgical precision; Moloids were too sloppy to match him. Jason blocked the weapon of one of them and sliced his throat of the other in a smooth arc. Raza stabbed the third with a sharp end of his sword. Slash across the face, busted kneecap, elbow crushing the windpipe – and the fourth Moloid was down. Mutant soldier and alien cyborg, they only meet a few hours ago, but they fought together like they'd done it a thousand times before.

Seeing Rockman surrounded by Moloids, Raza let out Starjammer's war cry and rushed forward to help his teammate, Nightblade not far behind. A part of Moloids turned to meet the new enemy, some tried to escape, but none of them succeeded. With all the monsters out of the chessboard, Crimson Dynamo brought her robots to the battlefield just in time. Sentinels devastated the ranks of Mole Man's army with deadly accuracy.

The last Moloid was sent flying by the fist of Flash Thompson.

Razorback lowered the rifle and saluted his commander, then gave Darwin and Captain Spider a quick nod of acknowledgement.

"Where's Mole Man? I have a score to settle with him".

"Dunno. Haven't seen him; too busy with these clowns".

Razorback grabbed Jason's shoulder. Nightblade looked in the direction alien's finger was pointing at, and gasped. Mole Man looked dishelmed, his mantle was torn and he lost his staff. He was looming threateningly over semi conscious figure of Callisto, with ray gun at ready.

"Come closer, and your precious queen is dead!"

* * *

Mole Man realization that he was on verge of losing the battle hit him hard. His brilliant plan to take down Nightblade failed; three monsters that seemed to be invincible were dead. His Moloids were running or dying, the band of killer robots was eliminating them. And the mutants he spent eight months to capture were now out of control.

_At least I have Callisto; she is an ultimate bargaining chip. And I can always kill her when she is no longer needed as a hostage._

He saw Nightblade, looking at him with a mix of disgust and powerless anger, and the cyborg impostor. The unnatural gleam in his dead eye mocked Mole Man.

Pressing a gun to the woman's head, he demanded, "I want to get out of there; nobody follows me. When I'm safe, I'll release her".

"No".

"You are not in position to bargain, mutie".

Nightblade replied, "No matter what I do, you are not going to let her live. The hatred in your eyes betrays you, Mole Man. I have another offer – let her go, and we'll let you escape. Unlike you, I know how to keep my end of the bargain. Kill her and I promise you a very slow and painful death".

Mole Man knew that Nightblade intends to keep his promises. And he was enraged beyond belief and recognition.

_That's not how it was supposed to be! __You ruined my day of triumph, and now you expect me to run like a scalded dog?_

"I need NO FAVORS from you!" Nigthtblade's blood turned into ice when he saw that the dwarf is going to pull the trigger.

**"SWAP!"**

Mole Man fired a shot; Nico Minory fell to the ground, unconscious and bleeding from the nose.

The ray passed harmlessly through the Darwin's head. The mutant, still dizzy after Nico's spell, grabbed Mole Man's throat with both hands and squeezed, building up the strength until he heard the bone snap.

* * *

The Worm got away when the collective nerve of the remaining Moloids broke and they ran.

The life wasn't generous to him in many ways. Little Winston Hobbes was born with a mutation so extreme that he his parents abandoned him, and he had to grow up in a foster care for mutant children, an outcast among outcasts. When he was sixteen, he escaped to the sewers, forced to dwell in the darkness because the light was too painful for his ultra-sensitive eyes. Winston Hobbes found where his parents lived, and murdered them, but their blood wasn't enough to satiate his rage.

He felt the kindred spirit in Mole Man, the same thirst for revenge. The Worm was offered a chance to make the whole world pay, and willingly offered his servitude. He helped to catch Morlocks so his master could build the army. He killed Nightblade's scouts. Now, looking at a prone form of failed dictator, The Worm felt like he was cheated again. He couldn't make the world suffer; all he has left is to avenge his master.

"Spider-sense..!" Captain Spider's warning was late, as always; with the guttural roar of rage The Worm lunged at Callisto, killing two Morlocks on his way. Jason tried to intercept him when the tentacles of supposedly dead snail monster raised and enveloped the blue mutant. Everybody heard his ribs cracking with a sickening crunch. Coughing the blood, he cut the tentacles with the vibranium blades.

At the same moment Rockman blocked The Worm's lunge, part of the broken Sentinel's chest plate served him as an improvised shield. The Worm grabbed the shield with his claws and was pushing Rockman backwards. The hero took a deep breath, summoning all his strength, and pushed back. Then he stumbled upon something and fell. The Worm growled and pulled the shield out of his arms. Callisto was already forgotten, all he wanted now was the death of Rockman. The hero was struggling to get up when his fingers brushed the wooden handle.

When The Worm attacked, tearing the hero with his claws, Rockman swung the pickaxe in a wide arc, plunging it into the enemy's head. He kept swinging his weapon, half-blind from the poison, until the force of The Worm's blow sent it spinning out of his hands.

The mist covering his eyes dissipated, and Rockman saw that The Worm was dying, with pickaxe buried inside of his skull, and the look full of hatred to the entire world in his dying eyes.

Rockman couldn't remember where he got the pickaxe. Blood was oozing out of the numerous claw marks all over his body. A woman's voice whispered into his ear, "It's over. You must rest now". He felt gentle hands his face.

Rockman smiled. _Of course, my queen came back to me to tend to my wounds. And my little princess too; I can't see her, but she must be here somewhere. And my warriors; why do they look so worried? Everything is as it should be. My long journey was over. The king of the Abyssia came back to his kingdom._

Rockman was blissfully smiling when the last bits of strength left his body and the darkness claimed him.

* * *

A purple portal opened in the air and the Exiles appeared out of it.

"Dammit! Couldn't Timebroker warn us before teleportation?"

"He decided that we overstayed our welcome," Nico was pale; she barely regained consciousness when they were teleported.

"What's our status?" Crimson Dynamo was able to slow the fall using thrusters. "Darwin? Did we win? Any news from your bracelet? "

"I believe I can answer your question, Ms. Belova," Timebroker said, appearing as a hologram from Tallus. Old man was wearing a tux with boutonniere. "Your mission was accomplished, you saved Callisto's life. Congratulations!"

Yelena said, "To be frank, I was too busy fighting the monsters and almost forgot about the mission. I can speak for everybody…" Darwin nodded, accepting what she said. _I am the leader of the Exiles. It's my duty to see that they can separate forest from the trees next time._

"It's your first mission, Ms. Belova. You'll learn".

Captain Spider asked, "Hey, where's Rockman?"

Timebroker's face saddened, "The claws of The Worm were poisoned. Rockman is in coma. Morlocks will take care of him. If he lives, he'll be able to find a new life with Morlocks. If he dies, he'll be given a hero's funeral. Anyway, it's not your concern anymore. You must concentrate on your next mission".

"It's easy for you to say! We are one man short!" Captain Spider lamented. "Great! Six little Indian boys playing with a hive; a bumblebee stung one, and then there were five! What's next, Goth girl taking a leave of absence?"

Nico glared at him, "Why don't YOU take a leave of absence, Spider-Fake?"

Timebroker smiled, "Don't be so impatient, Mr. Thompson. I was jut coming to it".

A new portal opened and a male figure stepped out of it.

Nico involuntary licked her lips when she saw tall and broad-shouldered mad in his twenties clad in a white gi with a golden dragon on its chest, yellow bandana covering the upper half of his face.

"Let me introduce a newest member of your team".

The stranger made a gracious bow, "Iron Fist, at your service".

* * *

_To be continued..._


	9. Showdown in Chicago

**Showdown in Chicago **

War Machine sped through the sky, followed by Quinjet.

LaSalle Street, usually crowded, was now empty. The reason for the mass panic was a group of villains loading their loot into a van in front of Federal Reserve Bank.

**"I have a visual on the enemy."**

War Machine's armor registered energy flux with Mysterio's signature and the vapour trail of Goblin's armored glider. Yellowjacket was hard to miss – he was the only villain in the world who could grow sixty feet tall.

**"Sinister Six. Just as we expected. " **

Moonhawk roughly landed Quinjet, earning a sarcastic remark from Arcanna. He ignored it, pushing the button to open the hatch.

"AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!"

Tombstone clenched his yellow teeth. _Bloody Avengers came too soon. Couldn't Yellowjacket build sturdier robots to distract them?_

Captain America brought his shield up repeling Viper's poisoned darts. Green-haired woman savagely attacked him. Arcanna Jones and Mysterio were staring intently at each other; they were locked in the battle of wills. Firestar hovered in mid-air protecting Arcanna while the elder woman was distracted by the mental battle. Her caution was paid off when Yellowjacket tried to step on Arcanna; Firestar burned his foot. The villain stepped back, yelling from pain.

War Machine warned, **"Moonhawk, Goblin at two o'clock!"**

White-cloaked man cartwheeled to escape two pumpkin bombs thrown at him by the masked madman. He responded with talon-shaped throwing knives; green armor protected glider-riding maniac but his bomb mussed the target, destroying the newspaper stand instead.

_Goblin! _Firestar's fists clenched, her features hardened.

Five months ago Osborn's mansion was attacked and she lost her fiancee. The wounds were still fresh. Avengers left no stones unturned, but never found the body. Angelica couldn't even give Harry a proper funeral; it was slowly killing her from the inside.

And now the monster responsible for Harry's death was in the range of her powers. _You are going down, bastard!_

Her comlink almost exploded, **"Firestar, stand down! Goblin is not your priority! Protect Arcanna! I'll handle Goblin!" **

_Damn it! I can't believe I just said it out loud! _The urge to go after Goblin was almost painful. But the last time Firestar threw a tantrum and disobeyed direct orders from Captain America, she was put on probation. Young heroine wasn't looking forward to repeat the humiliating experience.

Captain America threw star-spangled shield; Viper somersaulted to dodge it, but the shield ricocheted from the wall and grazed her knee. He took advantage of her momentary distraction, sweeping her feet from under her.

War Machine unleashed two missiles; Yellowjacket returned to normal size to avoid them. But before Pym could shrink to ant-size, the gloved hand grabbed his collar.

_"Look into my eyes!"_ Moonhawk hissed and took off his mask. Pym could see the eyes glowing like hot coals and the ritual scars on the lean hawk-like face, _"Feel all the pain and suffering you caused!" _

"AAARGH!" Yellowjacket's face contorted in pain and horror before he collapsed.

"Vengeance is served," there was no pride in vigilante's voice when he adjusted the mask back and looked down at the fallen villain. He felt depleted, empty, spent.

Meanwhile Goblin was wreaking havoc in the streets. He was pursued by War Machine, dodging his fire expertly. Hiding out of view behind the street corner Goblin shouted "NOW!". Well-aimed blast from Shocker's gauntlets toppled the shaky building, and War Machine was buried beneath the falling debris.

Arcanna stepped back from Mysterio. Her dead father was looking at her.

"I loved you! You were my Little Princess! How could you desert me in the time of need? How could my daughter, my flesh and blood let me die?"

"You are NOT my father!" heroine's voice was shaking.

Mysterio attacked through the crack in her mental armor, rendering Arcanna unconscious. Firestar moved to intercept him, but his penetrating gaze immobilized her.

Moonhawk challenged him, "Fight me, coward!"

"Thanks, but I'll pass," Mysterio disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

War Machine was battered and bruised; the rocks left multiple scratches and dents on his armor. His pride hurt more than his body. While he was digging his way to the surface and trying not to bring down the whole city block in the process, Sinister Six escaped.

"War Machine, you told me you can handle Goblin! I believed you!" if the armored hero was angry, Firestar was literally steaming.

Arcanna was rubbing her temples, "Don't be so judgmental. Goblin and Shocker had tag-teamed him."

Firestar made a silent promise, _Next time I see Goblin, I'm going after him, and I'll skin this giggling freak alive! I don't care if they kick me out of the team or arrest me! Harry must be avenged!_

Moonhawk joined the company, dragging unresisting Yellowjacket by his collar. War Machine glared at him,**"Arcanna was knocked out; I was buried, what's your excuse? You couldn't see through the illusions? Your famous True Sight is just a hoax?"**

"I couldn't use it. Penance Stare drains my energy."

Captain America frowned, "Penance Stare? _Again?_ You could knock Pym out, but no, you had to use the nuclear option."

Arcanna tried to ease the tension, "Look at the bright side. At least we've got Yellowjacket."

Captain America looked at the sobbing villain, noticing empty eyes and a string of drool from his mouth, and shook his head in disgust.

"Yellowjacket is gone. All we've got is an empty shell."

* * *

While Avengers were quarreling, on the other end of Chicago six heroes known as Exiles were sitting on the roof of the abandoned warehouse, listening to Darwin.

"Our mission is to stop to stop Sinister Six."

According to the data provided by Timebroker, first incarnation of Sinister Six was gathered when Masters of Evil were torn apart by the war between White Skull and Baroness Zemo and Hellfire Society was destroyed by Defenders. They took advantage of power vacuum and became one of the most notorious supervillain teams. Darwin could see that their opponents were formidable, and it's bad news. Adaptoid mutant wasn't fooled by the success of the first mission. His Exiles had a long way to go before they can truly become a team.

Raza Longknife asked, "Timebroker told you about the enemy?" Darwin noticed that alien's accent disappeared again.

The mutant shrugged, "He never tells too much. This time all he gave me is their codenames and a few facts from their history."

Crimson Dynamo smiled, "Let me fill in the blanks. I was hacking into various databases since our arrival."

Mysterio was a fortune teller from Vegas who turned to dark magic because his gambling habits were too expensive and attracted the unwanted attention from Mr. Fixit.

Tombstone was well-known figure in New York underground; pale-faced gangster was a strong-armed enforcer for Maggia until Kingpin wiped out the competition.

Carmilla Black, codename Viper, was a high-ranking agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. She had the flawless record until Agent X found a proof that she was a double agent for HYDRA. Viper escaped before they could arrest her. But the return to HYDRA headquarters was out of question - Baroness Zemo never gave her pawns a second chance.

Goblin was a wild card. Nobody saw him without a mask; he was never arrested; police and FBI had no clues where he came from. Superstrong, armed with high-tech weaponry and completely insane, Goblin was the most dangerous member of Sinister Six.

Shocker was a talented electronic engineer whose first crime was creating vibro-shock bomb to destroy the office of the company that fired him. While Herman Schultz wasn't as impressive as his teammates, Darwin wasn't going to underestimate him.

Yellowjacket was out of equation after Moonhawk used Penance Stare. Some people can meet face to face with the pain their crimes caused and handle the guilt. Hank Pym couldn't.

Flash Thompson exclaimed, "So it's gonna be six of us against five of them? Cool!"

Iron Fist wasn't sharing wall-crawler's optimism, "Don't be so cocky. One member short, they are still a threat".

Raza agreed, "Wounded beasts are dangerous and unpredictable."

"But we took down Mole Man and his army of monsters!"

Yelena Belova shook her head, "We had an army of Morlocks and a squad of Sentinels on our side. This time we are on our own. So don't expect a walk in the park."

Darwin concluded, "And we have to move fast. Avengers are looking for Sinister Six too. It's important to find and take them down before Avengers have a chance to intervene."

* * *

The safehouse was full of booby traps designed to deal with all kinds of intruders. Except the intruder was as far from ordinary man as possible.

Viper unsheathed her blades and took the stance, "We are not alone!"

"Where?" Shocker looked around nervously but saw nothing.

"Over there," tall man stepped into the light, allowing Sinister Six to see him.

Tombstone spat out, "You have a lot of nerve to come here, Wanderer. You think I don't know who destroyed Maggia weapons stash?"

"So? I thought you motto is _'Nothing personal, just business'_. Besides, you don't work for Maggia anymore".

Wanderer's crimson body armor was well-known in all the corners of the world. He worked for several governments; he was hired by drug cartels and religious extremist groups.

"I don't remember sending you the invitation."

"That's a crappy way to meet the answer to your prayers, my pale-faced friend. A little bird told me that you are one man short, and I'm here to offer my services."

Shocker said heatedly, "We don't need more fighters; Viper is very capable."

Wanderer sized up the green-haired assassin, paying extra attention to her shapely long legs, "Capable? It goes without saying. But you misunderstood me. I'm your team's new tactician. From what I see, Sinister Six became too lazy and in need of a new perspective." Wanderer crossed his arms over his chest, "Let me ask a few questions, just to prove my point. What were you planning to do?" Shocker was at a loss for words, "Hide and wait until the smoke clears? Or maybe I was wrong about you? Maybe all this time you were planning how to free Yellowjacket? _All for one and one for all_?" Wanderer saw his wild guess wasn't far from truth, "I can save you time and effort. Yellowjacket is useless for you; he was taken to the psych ward of the Raft."

Shocker asked with suspicion, "And how do you know this?"

"I have my sources."

"Sources you are not going to share?"

"Like you share your connections to A.I.M.?"

Shocked turned purple with rage, "Shut up!"

Goblin giggled, "Hey, I'm starting to like this guy!"

Mysterio laughed out loud, "Seriously, Herman, A.I.M.? Now I know how Craven Klaw got his hands on that vibrokatana."

Tombstone raised his arm, "We need sixth member and Wanderer wants to join us. This calls in for a vote. Mysterio?"

"Yes".

"Viper?"

"No."

"Goblin?"

"Yess!"

"Shocker?"

"No."

"That's two against three, you lost", Viper said triumphantly. "I give you five minute head start, Wanderer. Then I'm going after you."

"Viper," Tombstone's voice was gravely serious, "Never – NEVER! - assume how I'm going to vote. "

"But he and you..."

"Like he said, '_Nothing personal, it's just business_'. And my vote was Yes."

"Welcome to the club," said Mysterio.

Viper had to add her two cents, "Tombstone, I wouldn't trust Wanderer if I were you. He has a bad habit of betraying his allies. He'll do it again".

"Carmilla, sweetie, you are not in position to talk about loyalty. Not after you betrayed both HYDRA and S.H.I.E.L.D."

* * *

Tombstone was to see the cavalcade of cars through the binoculars. Wanderer gave them the information as the admission fee, and it certainly wasn't a wild goose chase. If they succeed, they'll have the armored truck full of anti-tank weapons. Wanderer can be annoying and disrespectful, but Tombstone knew they had to show the world that Sinister Six is as strong as ever, with Yellowjacket or without him. If pulling off high-profile heist means accepting help from Wanderer, so be it. They could deal with the annoying mercenary later.

Shocker sent forward a shockwave. The escort cars were turning over and crashing into each other until only two of them left on the road. Goblin fired missiles at each car and watched with glee as they exploded. Viper was slashing through the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. with her usual efficiency. A small scratch was enough to kill – Carmilla Black never used slow poisons.

Mysterio concentrated and S.H.I.E.L.D soldiers started to shoot frantically, not realizing that they are killing each others.

"Hold the fire!" yelled one of the officers. "Don't shoot…"

"...It's a trap?" Viper hissed, plunging her sai viciously into the agent's back. "Thanks, Captain Oblivious, you are too late!"

Goblin cracked the bulletproof glass and snapped the neck of the driver.

Wanderer asked Viper, "So how does it feel to kill your former buddies?"

Carmilla scowled, not taking the bait, "I'm doing S.H.I.E.L.D a favor by disposing of these slackers. I've seen AIM agents with better reflexes."

"You worked for A.I.M. too? I'm impressed!"

"Shut up, Wanderer!"

_We won; the truck and its cargo now belong to Sinister Six. And the bloody Avengers aren't here to stop us._

* * *

Flash whispered, "Hey, there are six of them, not five!"

Crimson Dynamo recognized the new member of Sinister Six from the FBI databases.

**_Wanderer. Real name – unknown…. Age – unknown… Mercenary and assassin for hire…. Threat level - SEVERE._**

Before they ambushed Sinister Six, Yelena Belova warned Exiles, "Watch out for his arrows! Wanderer had all kinds of them, even anti-aircraft arrows."

Captain Spider started the battle by jumping from the roof and landing on Goblin's back. The villain started to wiggle until he was able to get rid of the 'passenger'. Crimson Dynamo caught Flash before the luckless hero hit the ground. She scolded him, "What's up with you? You are Spider, not a Human Fly."

Iron Fist moved like a dancer, dodging or blocking Wanderer's arrows. The mercenary pulled out the sword from behind his back, enjoying the challenge.

Shocker threw an odd-shaped grenade at Darwin. The ground swallowed the mutant.

"Brace yourself! Three, two…" Yelena counted as she threw Captain Spider at Tombstone. The gangster staggered back when the wall-crawler slammed into his frame. The force of the impact was so strong that Tombstone was knocked unconscious.

Raza fought Viper, keeping a safe distance from her using a sharp tip of his sword. The alien dealt with the poisoned blades before; the experience was nasty and almost fatal.

Shocker aimed his gauntlets at Nico, ready to unleash the shockwave. Suddenly he felt the ground shifting. A mole-like monster burst through the ground, grabbing Shocker's hands and holding them in the iron grip. The villain shuddered when he recognized Darwin.

"No!" Shocker yelled as the mutant added extra pressure, crushing his gauntlets.

Spider-sense alerted Flash Thompson when Tombstone started to stir. Captain Spider sidestepped when the gangster attacked, then stuck out his leg and tripped Tombstone, and finally slammed both fists down in a chopping motion.

"And stay down!"

Raza stepped forward, still keeping a safe distance from Viper. He felt uneasy fighting the woman who looked like a sister of Abigail Brand. The similarities could make the lesser man hesitate, but Raza's heart was full of bitter anger and the desire to smash the warped mirror. He morphed his left hand into a blade, parried Viper's attack and plunged a sword through her heart in a swift motion.

Nico Minoru clenched her teeth. She couldn't concentrate on spells and resists Mysterio's mental attack at the same time.

Goblin made a U-turn to face the armored woman. He snarled, "War Machine got a girlfriend? Who knew he had it in him?"

His words had unexpected effect.

"I'M NOT HIS GIRFLRIEND!"

Yellow beams of power struck Goblin directly in the chest, knocking him off the glider. Yelena cursed loudly, slowly coming to her senses.

Mysterio was slowly breaking through Nico's mental defenses when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

"Excuse me," said Flash Thompson, then headbutted the villain and kicked him in the gut. Once Nico was free from the mental tentacles, she knocked Mysterio out with the Staff of One.

Iron Fist caught Wanderer's sword between his palms, channeled his _chi_ through the hands and broke the blade.

"My best sword! You'll pay for this!"

Iron Fist's elbow connected to Wanderer's solar plexus. Wanderer felt chi-powered blow despite the armor. Iron Fist exploded in a series of attacks aimed at the vital points on mercenary's body and added a finishing touch to his symphony of battle by using the secret attack of Latverian Resistance, Four Fangs of Doom.

Goblin was slowly losing himself in a cloud of chemical-induced rage. His opponent was alone and unarmed, but all the weapons at Goblin's disposal proved to be useless. Enraged Goblin tried to stab Darwin, but both the hand and the dagger were stuck in the mutant's chest.

"Stupid freak! Why can't you just die?"

Darwin responded with, "Freak? Look who's talking!"

Nico pointed her staff at Goblin and shouted, "**Unmask!**"

Goblin's laughing mask disappeared, revealing the pale face of the young man Yelena and Flash immediately recognized as Harry Osborn.

"Who are you people? Where am I?" Harry Osborn asked in a weak voice.

"MISSION ACCOMPLISHED," said Tallus, and Exiles disappeared in a flash of light.


End file.
